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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24652708">A Song of Storm and Fire : Post-Canon</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/'>Anonymous</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Storms &amp; Fires [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Avatar: The Last Airbender</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Coming Out, Dirty Talk, Dom/sub, Enthusiastic Consent, Exhibitionism, I wrote this for me but you can read it too if you want, M/M, Multi, Polyamory, Post-Canon, Threesome - F/M/M, Threesome - M/M/M, Voyeurism, adult zuko gets kinkier the older he gets, discussing gender, i just think zuko deserves a loving harem</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-06-10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-03-26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 03:28:27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Explicit</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>33</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>70,411</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24652708</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>"Someone's coming!" Toph sensed with her feet. "Quick! Everybody, hide!"</p><p>A black silhouette appeared from behind the cliff and walked through the temple, stopping in its tracks right in front of their hiding spot. It was a human of rather small frame, face and body hidden under several layers of black clothing. Only their eyes were visible, and they were sparkling like stars.</p><p>"Excuse me, have you seen Zuko around here?" they asked with a light and soft voice, obviously knowing that the teens were hiding behind that pillar.</p><p>"Zuko?!" Sokka's head popped out. "Don't tell me Zuko is here?!"</p><p>"Who are you?!" Katara said as she came out, threatening to use her water whip.</p><p>The silhouette removed their hood and the scarf in front of their mouth, revealing the face of a beautiful teenager with short white hair and a bright smile.</p><p>"I'm Zuko's <i>boyfriend!</i>"</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Sokka (Avatar)/Original Character(s), Sokka/Zuko (Avatar), Suki (Avatar)/Original Character(s), Zuko (Avatar)/Original Character(s), background Katara/Jet, background Sokka/Suki</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Storms &amp; Fires [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1782391</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>110</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>125</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Anonymous</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>WARNING: If you haven't read it already, please start with <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24201922/chapters/58298305">this fic</a> first, or it won't make any sense at all!</p><p>Also, don't worry, Sokka/Zuko is <b>not</b> a background couple!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p class="p1">Zuko woke up two days later. He was in his bed, in the Fire Nation palace.</p><p class="p1">
  <em>So I survived? Does that mean we won?</em>
</p><p class="p1">He sat up, and felt a deep pain in his chest. He was in his underwear, covered in bandages. Ren was still asleep, sitting down on the ground on the other side of the room, in a meditation pose. He had put his black headscarf back on. Zuko smiled softly.</p><p class="p1">
  <em>He's safe.</em>
</p><p class="p1">Zuko stood up on wobbly legs, and put on an under robe to cover himself. He walked to the balcony and inhaled slowly, feeling Agni's gaze on his skin. He felt like he had been reborn. But the view from the balcony was quite depressing. Half of the palace had burnt down, and what was left was covered in propaganda flags and war symbols. To Zuko, this had been the normal way to decorate a home for his entire life, but now that he had seen the outside world, he realized how wrong all of this was.</p><p class="p1">The fact that he was probably days away, or maybe hours, from becoming the new Fire Lord really sank in. He would be the one in charge of making all the changes. There was <em>a shit ton</em> of things to do, and he could trust no one in the Fire Nation capital. He'd have to start by switching up the entire court, to get rid of the unabashed corruption. He would need to find trusted bodyguards too.</p><p class="p1"><em>There's at least one person I can trust, </em>he thought as he returned to his room.</p><p class="p1">He cupped Ren's cheek, and Ren jumped awake at the touch. His eyes opened wide, and he started crying as soon as he saw that Zuko was awake.</p><p class="p1">Zuko chuckled, and hugged him. Ren returned the hug tightly but careful not to hurt his lover. They didn't say anything for a long, long time. Zuko felt his robe getting wet where Ren was burying his face, and pulled back from him to wipe his tears with his thumbs.</p><p class="p1">"Come on, why are you crying like that?" Zuko smiled, but Ren could only sob, throat too tight to speak.</p><p class="p1">"Did we win?" Zuko asked. "Is everybody okay?"</p><p class="p1">Ren nodded frantically, trying to smile between his sobs.</p><p class="p1">"Did Aang kill my father?"</p><p class="p1">Ren shook his head, and tried to calm his breathing. Zuko patiently waited.</p><p class="p1">"Aang didn't kill him," Ren finally manage to say. "He took his bending away instead."</p><p class="p1">Took his bending away? Zuko opened his eyes wide. <em>You can do that?</em></p><p class="p1">"Where is he now?" he asked.</p><p class="p1">"In prison," Ren said, voice finally steady enough to speak clearly.</p><p class="p1">Zuko patted his head, feeling the soft silk scarf. He hadn't seen it for so long, it brought back memories of the past, and it made him smile fondly.</p><p class="p1">"What happened to Azula?" he asked after a while.</p><p class="p1">Ren's expression suddenly darkened. "... I killed her," he admitted reluctantly, voice as sharp as a blade.</p><p class="p1">Zuko stopped breathing. A violent rush of cold ran down his entire spine, shivers prickling his skin all over his body.</p><p class="p1">"You killed her?" he repeated. He had expected that this could be her end, but he still couldn't believe it. Ren, <em>his Ren</em>, had killed her? <em>His sister</em>? Azula? "What happened?"</p><p class="p1">"She shot a thunder bolt at you, and I thought she had killed you on the spot. I killed her after that."</p><p class="p1">Zuko took a deep breath. Why was he so shocked? He had gone to battle with the determination to end her. He had carefully thought about what would happen if she didn't surrender. He had prepared himself to kill her in case it was the only solution left. So why was he so shocked?</p><p class="p1">After some time, he asked, "Where is her body? I must give her proper funerals."</p><p class="p1">Ren clenched his teeth, a conflicted emotion on his face. "There's no body left."</p><p class="p1">"What?" Zuko's jaw dropped before he could even processed the words. "What do you mean, there's no body left?! Of my sister?!"</p><p class="p1">Ren stayed silent, and it made Zuko's lingering anger bubble closer and closer to the surface.</p><p class="p1">"Ren. What exactly happened?" Zuko asked, tone stern.</p><p class="p1">"You don't want to know," Ren replied in the same tone.</p><p class="p1">"Ren, we're talking about my sister here! I have to know!"</p><p class="p1">Ren closed his eyes. "<em>I don't want you to know</em>," he whispered, voice sizzling with an emotion Zuko had never seen on him. And Zuko didn't like it one bit.</p><p class="p1">"YOU <em>KILLED</em> MY SISTER, REN! YOU <em>KILLED</em> HER! I DESERVE TO KNOW!" he erupted.</p><p class="p1">"I PROTECTED YOU!" Ren exploded as well, tears dripping down his cheeks once again. "You sound like you're mad at me for killing her! Are you saying I did the <em>wrong thing</em>?!"</p><p class="p1">Zuko kept silent. He wanted to say something, anything that could calm down the storm that was forming in front of him, but no word came out of his mouth.</p><p class="p1">"Did you want to keep her alive?!" Ren enraged. "After all she's done to you? What were you even going to do with her?!" He took a deep breath and tried to lower his voice. "I had to do it, Zuko. She once took away everything I had. <em>You</em>. I was never letting her take you away a second time."</p><p class="p1">Zuko was completely speechless.</p><p class="p1">"Do you think you can just throw her into a prison for eternity? Do you think she'll just turn good once, I don't know, you <em>talk</em> to her?" Ren's voice broke. "She would have found a way to break free, and she would have found a way to undo everything we earned with this victory. And she would have killed you, Zuko. <em>Oh, she was so ready to kill you</em>."</p><p class="p1">There was melodious tone to Ren's voice, a lacerating melody, as sharp as a blade. His words were slicing Zuko's heart like a thousand knives. Ren was hearing himself talk like he was a stranger to his own body, and he couldn’t do anything to stop the poisonous words from spilling out of his mouth.</p><p class="p1">"You're too <em>romantic</em>," he continued without meaning to, "you were blind to her because you hoped that maybe somewhere she had an ounce of love for you. But she didn't. <em>She really didn't</em>," he sang again. "I killed her, Zuko, and I regret <em>nothing</em>."</p><p class="p1">Zuko lowered his head, barely realizing that he was crying, tears beading all over his face. He walked off, hiding behind his long sleeves.</p><p class="p1">
  <em>So there was that much anger hiding in Ren's heart all this time?</em>
</p><p class="p1">He couldn't process it, he just couldn't. His sister had been killed by the love of his life, and he now had to live with that knowledge. He was glad it was too early in the morning for people to roam around the palace, because he didn't want to see anyone. He took refuge in one of the treasure rooms, where he used to play hide and seek with Azula, a long, long time ago. And he cried his eyes out.</p><p class="p1">He knew there had to be some good in his sister. She was just a young girl groomed from birth for war and murder by the monster that was her father. But she... she could care for others. She had friends, right? Mai was her friend, sort of. Azula must have felt some kind of affection for her, right? And when Zuko came back, after Ba Sing Se, didn't Azula help him find his marks in the palace again? She was the only one who cared for him at that time. She introduced him to Mai, she asked their father to let Zuko attend the war council, she did a lot of things for her brother. It was out of love, wasn't it? It... it wasn't just part of her plan to protect herself in case the Avatar was still alive... right?</p><p class="p1">The more Zuko thought about her, the more he realized how true Ren's words were. He was trying to convince himself that Azula wasn't a monster, instead of looking at the reality that she was completely unable to love anyone, and that she had used him as a scapegoat all her life.</p><p class="p1">
  <em>I was so blind.</em>
</p><p class="p1">But he still couldn't get over the pain that the loss of his sister was inducing him. He couldn't forget the sharp cold that had invaded his whole body when Ren had told him he had killed her. He couldn't forget the ringing in his ears, as Ren's painful words had erupted out of his mouth.</p><p class="p1">Zuko needed time.</p><p class="p1">"I'm sorry, Ren, but... I still feel like you robbed me of my sister," he finally said after he went back to his room. Ren was still crying, kneeling on the ground. "You're probably right, she didn't love me. But she was the only sibling I had."</p><p class="p1">Ren swallowed down, but his throat was so dry it hurt.</p><p class="p1">"I don't understand why it hurts so much. I really don't. I need some time to think," Zuko said, "to mourn. Ren, please... Leave me alone for now."</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>CW: some allusions to past horny stuff</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p class="p1">And so Ren left Zuko alone. He soon found a job in a reputable dress shop in the outskirt of the city, and moved in. The owner had a small attic that was big enough for a bed, and accepted to rent it at the cost of half of Ren's pay. It was small, but he didn't need much else.</p>
<p class="p1">***</p>
<p class="p1">
  <em>Dear Ren,</em>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <em>This is an official invitation to Fire Lord Zuko's coronation ceremony. Be on your best attire and meet at the palace's gates, Monday of next week at eight in the morning. You shall stay at the palace for the night.</em>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <em>PS: I know it sounds weird to call myself 'Fire Lord Zuko', but I need to be formal enough that the guards will believe this is an official letter. Somehow my seal isn't enough yet. I can't believe this is the sort of struggle I need to face now, after all I've been through!</em>
</p>
<p class="p1">***</p>
<p class="p1">Ren didn't attend Zuko's coronation. He had no right to, he was just a simple craftsperson, and the common people couldn't approach the palace. And it wasn't like he had expected an invitation anyway. Or a letter. Or anything. He definitely didn’t expect one. Nor deserve one.</p>
<p class="p1">***</p>
<p class="p1">
  <em>Dear Ren,</em>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <em>In the end, I couldn't send you the invitation. I don't understand what's wrong with me. I'm an idiot.</em>
</p>
<p class="p1">***</p>
<p class="p1">Months passed, and Ren settled into his new life. His boss was unfairly strict, but she was really good at her job and Ren learnt a ton of new things. The shop had three other employees, all girls, and Ren made a point to be the most hardworking of them all. The girls were friendly, but liked to gossip too much, and Ren couldn't bring himself to care. In the beginning, they had invited him to go to the public bathhouse together, but once he had declined three or four times in a row, they got the hint that he didn't like bathing in public.</p>
<p class="p1">***</p>
<p class="p1">
  <em>Dear Ren,</em>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <strike>
    <em>I .</em>
  </strike>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <em>This is the fifth letter I try to write, this morning.</em>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <em>I don't know where to start. I have so many things I want to tell you. The most important first: I'm not mad at you anymore. I was very upset. In fact, I was truly angry. But I realize now that you did what you did because you thought it was the only option. I know you wouldn't take someone's life casually. I realized you only ever saw the worst side of my sister, and I tried to imagine what you could have thought when you saw her shooting a lightning at me. I don't know what I'd have done in this situation. I really don't know. I can't say I would have made a better decision than the one you made. So I really can't be mad at you. I regret that things have gotten the way they have, and if I could go back I would change a lot. But what's done is done. And I love you, I still do, I love you as much as I always have, and I will continue to love you, no matter what. I'll love you forever, Ren.</em>
</p>
<p class="p1">***</p>
<p class="p1">Ren's room was very hot during the summer, and would be no doubt very cold during winter. In the morning, he would sew and embroider as much as he could, but the light would shift during the afternoon, so he would spend the rest of the day running errands, either delivering finished garments or bringing back fabric orders.</p>
<p class="p1">***</p>
<p class="p1">
  <em>Dear Ren,</em>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <em>Thinking about writing to you makes me so anxious somehow. I decided to just write what's on my mind and see where this takes me.</em>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <em>I keep drowning in work, work, and more work. I won't be able to live like this for long, or I will loose my sanity. Can you imagine my hand pinching two fingers together? Right now I'm that close to blasting everything on fire and running away. Of course I won't do it, but Agni knows if I want to. I can't believe I actually miss the time I was banished. Things were simpler. I only had one thing to do and, if I failed, the consequences would fall onto my shoulders only. But above all of this, I miss when you were by my side.</em>
</p>
<p class="p1">***</p>
<p class="p1">Ren opened the mailbox every morning with a vague faint of hope, but no letter ever came. He would sift through the papers, water bills, bank receipts, promotional pamphlets and newspapers, and none of them would be addressed to him. He would glance at the newspapers' headlines, <em>the rising star Kaguya </em>blah blah<em>, the crow murderer </em>this<em>, the opening of the new market </em>that, and then he would sigh and get to work until he'd pass out on his bed in the evening.</p>
<p class="p1">***</p>
<p class="p1">
  <em><strike>Dear Ren</strike> My love,</em>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <em>I miss the way you twist your hair above your head when you go to sleep, so that it doesn’t tangle during the night. I miss the coldness of your legs wrapping around mine like tree roots, anchoring yourself to me in a way that makes me feel guilty if I have to get up during the night. I miss hearing your breathing slow down as you fall asleep, soft whispers of wind dissipating through the night. I miss leaving a last kiss on your shoulder as I close my eyes and join you in your dreams. </em>
</p>
<p class="p1">***</p>
<p class="p1">Sometimes Ren would stay awake deep into the night, unable to sleep. His memories would creep back from the depths of his heart, and he would try so bad to repress them, but they wouldn't obey him. He would think about Zuko, he would think about him so much, with so many emotions laced together, and it would hurt. It would really hurt.</p>
<p class="p1">***</p>
<p class="p1">
  <em>Ren, my beloved,</em>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <em>This may be coming out of nowhere, but I realized I never told you about your wet dreams, even when you asked. I think a lot about them nowadays. You talked so much, it was like reading a open book, straight to your heart. At first I was horrified, because I felt like I had no right to hear all of those dreams. Then I realized I had a crush on you, and you were calling me in your sleep, so that meant you probably had a crush on me too, right? I was delighted, and I must admit that I often cupped myself right next to you. But then those dreams would turn into nightmares sometimes. You would ask me to stop. You would say you didn't deserve me. You would say 'Zuko, no! It's not right!' or 'you're Agni's son, don't touch me, you're gonna get dirty!' You would wake up covered in sweat and tears and take a silent cold bath in the middle of the night. I still wonder, to this day, what was on your mind when we kissed for the first time. When our body collided. When we climaxed together. Did you feel dirty? I know I had never felt so alive before. You, and your love, you made me feel like life was worth living again. I can't imagine how my banishment would have turned out if you weren't there with me. I think I would probably hate the entire universe by now. And I don't know if I would have been able to make the choice to fight my father. I think, if you hadn't been there, I would have turned out a horrible person. You saved me, Ren. I became who I am thanks to you.</em>
</p>
<p class="p1">***</p>
<p class="p1">There was one thing that Ren discovered during his new life, that he held very dearly. It was the kabuki theater, two streets away from the dress shop. He would go once a week, not really paying care to the program because each week there would be a play he'd never seen before anyway. He discovered tales of the Fire Nation folklore, grand adventures of the heroes of the past, romantic stories of forbidden lovers and so, so many lovely songs. Kabuki was an art form that Ren had completely ignored the existence of, and as Fire Lord Zuko had recently lifted the censorship restrictions, the Fire Nation kabuki scene was hitting a high stride of creativity and success.</p>
<p class="p1">***</p>
<p class="p1">
  <em>My dear Ren,</em>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <em>I want to see you so bad. I want to do things with you, things we have never had the chance to do before. Like going on dates! There was that time when we hunted down the Avatar, only to find out it was just an ignorant puppet-maker, and you counted it as our first date, but I'm still not really convinced it was one. I have so many things I want to show you. You've never really lived here before, haven't you? There's a beautiful park in the west ward, absolutely gorgeous during the autumn season. The leaves turn all shades of red and orange and yellow, it looks like the light of a warm hearth, an hearth like in the old tales, where the grandma would sit next to it and tell stories to her grandchildren until they fell asleep. We should go next month.</em>
</p>
<p class="p1">***</p>
<p class="p1">One night, Ren watched a play about the princess who had fallen from the moon. (<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k_epnF4YjQo">link</a>) It was one of the rare tales Ren actually knew before watching, and he was quite intrigued by the staging of the show. They had changed it up so that it was almost only music and songs and no spoken dialogs, but thanks to the main dancer's talents, the play was still very easy to follow.</p>
<p class="p1">The dancer wore the collar of her kimono very low on her neck, revealing the gorgeous skin between her shoulder blades. Her entire body was painted white, softly shimmering in the darkness of the theater. She looked ethereal, made of clouds and starlight, a godly figure of grace and beauty that would dissipate like a ghost with only a brush of a finger.</p>
<p class="p1"><em>And her voice</em>.</p>
<p class="p1">Agni had graced her with the loveliest voice Ren had ever heard.</p>
<p class="p1">***</p>
<p class="p1">
  <em>Ren,</em>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <em>I still don't understand why it is so hard for me to write to you. All my words feel empty and dull. Winter is ending soon, and it has been so many months since we parted. I wonder what your life looks like right now. Have you gone back to live with Master Piandao? I hope he is doing well. I was so glad to see him, last time we met. I need to pay him a visit one day. And to be honest, I also need to brush up my sword skills. I have nobody to train with, now. I'm getting very rusty.</em>
</p>
<p class="p1">***</p>
<p class="p1">The beautiful dancer started the final dance of the play, a moment that should be hard-hitting and emotional. But Ren couldn't help but feel it was lacking. He couldn't concentrate on anything because the sound of the room was so flat it felt empty and boring instead. It was definitely not the dancer's fault. She did her best and it showed, but the impact just wasn't there. Ren took a glance at the musicians, and they looked like they were struggling to hear themselves, and in return, the dancer struggled to sing properly, voice wavering.</p>
<p class="p1">That was something he could help with.</p>
<p class="p1">Ren inhaled slowly, and put his foot down slightly to the musicians' direction. It was a very small step, and nobody heard it. But the vibrations crawled all over the floor, the walls and the ceiling, and suddenly, the whole theater sounded like a temple, music beautiful and clear, voices of the audience magically muffled down enough that the only distraction from the melody was the dancer's steps themselves, creating a beautiful rhythm, making her move like a goddess that had taken a human form.</p>
<p class="p1">The whole theater cheered loudly as the dancer finished this last song. It was a standing ovation, something that she had never seen before. Ren stepped outside before the curtain closed.</p>
<p class="p1">***</p>
<p class="p1">
  <em>Ren, <strike>my love</strike> my most beloved,</em>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <strike>
    <em>I</em>
  </strike>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <em>.</em>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <em>I'm so stupid.</em>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <em>I'm just making excuses at this point. I'll make things better, I promise. I'm sorry.</em>
</p>
<p class="p1">***</p>
<p class="p1">Ren woke up earlier than usual one summer morning, with a raging headache. The sun was barely peeking through the horizon. He took a walk down the streets, and his footsteps lead him to the dock. Five years earlier, he had ran to that dock as fast as he could, and had jumped on a small army ship, leaving his entire life behind to save who would become the love of his life.</p>
<p class="p1">He was fifteen, back then.</p>
<p class="p1">He came back home, prayed, took a quick bath and started meditating while his hair dried. It had been so long since he had last done it, it felt like coming back home after a long journey. But after just a moment, his mind got brought back to real life by a very loud swarm of crowbats circling above the shop. He ran outside still in his night clothes, wearing old woven sandals meant for inside. The crowbats flew to the south, so he followed them, running as fast as he could, through the market where fishermen were setting up their stalls, through the temple courtyards were monks were starting the sun salute. He crossed the great bridge where drunkards were still singing from the night before, he crossed the outer wall that marked the separation between the city and the countryside. He ran through the whole Fire Nation capital, white hair flowing in the wind, following the giant swarm of crowbats like his life depended on it.</p>
<p class="p1">The crowbats went into the forest. He tried to catch up with them as best as he could, but it was difficult. Fortunately, he soon arrived at a small house, on top of which dozens of crowbats were perched.</p>
<p class="p1">"Is it here? Why did you lead me here?" he asked them, struggling to breathe.</p>
<p class="p1">Seeing as the crowbats had calmed down, Ren walked into the building. He removed his dirty sandals and opened the door to the main room. There was a man sitting there, black hair, fair skin, scarlet robes, and a topknot with a gorgeous golden hairpiece that looked like burning fire. He was so beautiful Ren's breath got knocked out of his chest.</p>
<p class="p1">"... Fire Lord Zuko," he whispered, headache thumping in his skull. It should have been his heart thumping hard in his ribcage instead, but it wasn't. Ren clenched his teeth when he realized that.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>The dancer's song : <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k_epnF4YjQo">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k_epnF4YjQo</a></p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>CW: some sex talk</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p class="p1">Zuko had pictured many times what he hoped his reunion with Ren would be. Ren would jump into his arms, or cry buckets of happy tears. Or both. Probably both. They would kiss and bathe and make love, and spend the rest of the day cuddling. Zuko would ask Ren to come live in the palace, and later that day they would go back to the city together.</p><p class="p1">But reality hit very differently. First, Zuko didn’t expect Ren to arrive so early, because he thought he was much further away from the city. So he had been living this close this whole time?</p><p class="p1">Then, Ren had called him not by his name, but by his title. Why the sudden reverence? Didn’t they establish long ago that this was a futile boundary?</p><p class="p1">But what surprised Zuko the most and what made him jump to his feet, was Ren suddenly prostrating before him, forehead to the ground.</p><p class="p1">“Ren!” he yelped, and caught him by the shoulders, making him sit straight.</p><p class="p1">Ren hurriedly sat up and shrugged back like he had been stung by a bee. His eyes were locked to the ground.</p><p class="p1">“Ren...” Zuko called, almost whispering. “... aren’t you happy to see me?”</p><p class="p1">Zuko took Ren’s hands in his own, but before he could even feel their usual coldness, Ren took them away, as if he had been burnt.</p><p class="p1">“... are you scared of me?” Zuko asked, voice breaking. “Because I’m Fire Lord?”</p><p class="p1">Ren stayed silent, looking down, jaw tight.</p><p class="p1">“Ren! You licked my asshole!” Zuko blurted. “Several times! Why would you be scared of touching me all of a sudden?!"</p><p class="p1">This finally got a reaction out of Ren. He glanced up as he blushed from head to toes, and met Zuko’s eyes, full of worry and slowly beginning to tear up.</p><p class="p1">“No...” he finally said, “Your Highness, don’t cry-“</p><p class="p1">“Why are you calling me like that, all of a sudden? Am I not Zuko anymore? <em>Your</em> <em>Zuko</em>? Did you... did you forget about me?”</p><p class="p1">Ren’s heart broke to pieces. “I...” he started, but the words were painfully stuck inside his throat. “... I thought <em>you</em> had forgotten about me,” he finally managed to articulate.</p><p class="p1">Zuko took his hand, and this time Ren didn’t remove it. “I’m sorry,” Zuko said, “I’m so sorry for making you wait for so long. I... I wanted to see you, but I couldn’t find the right way to...” he didn’t finish his sentence. The right way to what? It sounded like such a stupid problem. “I wrote you so many letters,” he sighed, “but not a single word felt right. I felt so stupid. In the end, I burnt them all instead of sending them to you."</p><p class="p1">Zuko looked up, and saw Ren’s tears silently dripping down his cheeks. There was no sob, no stuttering breath, no sound at all, only tears slowly pearling down his face, calling to be wiped by Zuko’s fingers. So Zuko did that, and then he kissed Ren with all the love he had. Ren was hesitant, and didn’t know where to put his hands, so Zuko brought them to his beating heart.</p><p class="p1">When they ended the kiss, Zuko cupped Ren’s face delicately, and looked at all the details of the face he loved so dearly, the wet eyelashes, the pretty eyes of steel, the thin round eyebrows, the soft curved nose, the heart-shaped lips. He needed those lips to curl, he needed it like his life depended on it.</p><p class="p1">“Ren,” Zuko said, “do you want to take a bath together? A nice warm one.” If there was one thing that Ren loved, it was a warm bath, right?</p><p class="p1">“I already bathed,” Ren replied, and it made Zuko’s heart sink a little.</p><p class="p1">He needed to think of something else, then. “So, step two?” he asked. Ren tilted his head in confusion. “Can I ask for a good fucking?”</p><p class="p1">The straightforwardness finally earned him a small chuckle from Ren. Zuko smiled softly, relieved and suddenly hopeful that maybe the scars of their separation could soon fade.</p><p class="p1">They went to the other room, holding hands.</p><p class="p1">Zuko flopped onto the bed, falling on his back. His head hung right on the edge of the mattress, and as his topknot had come a little loose, the Fire Lord royal hairpiece fell down. Ren yelped, and threw himself forward to try to catch it before it touched the ground. He lifted it up, balancing it between his hands with difficulty, brows furrowing, eyes panicking. The royal hairpiece was levitating, shaking in the air a few inches above his palms. Zuko reached for it and put it down on the bedside table. He heard the relieved sigh Ren let out, and snorted.</p><p class="p1">"It's okay," he said, taking Ren's hands and pulling them over his shoulders, "nobody got injured."</p><p class="p1">"Don't joke about that, I was so scared!" Ren said, sighing again.</p><p class="p1">"I'm not joking," Zuko smiled gently, caressing his hair, "It's okay if you touch it, you know."</p><p class="p1">"No, it is absolutely not okay. It's the royal hairpiece, I'd rather die than touch it."</p><p class="p1">Zuko knew Ren would never change his mind so he dropped the subject, "I didn't know you could make stuff levitate."</p><p class="p1">"I didn't know either. I just came up with it on the spot."</p><p class="p1">Zuko undressed himself, and then undressed Ren too.</p><p class="p1">He kissed him from his lips to his ankles, slowly going down and worshipping every inch of his body, kissing every tiny mole and counting them, running his fingers against the soft bare skin, through the body hair, savoring all the different textures and shapes of Ren's body like it was the most intricate and beautiful piece of jewelry.</p><p class="p1">But when Zuko looked back up, it wasn't bliss, or lust, or embarrassment he found on Ren's face. It was sorrow. Ren looked on the verge of crying again, and it definitely did not look like happy tears.</p><p class="p1">Zuko felt his heart shatter. It was his fault. It was entirely his fault. He had let Ren suffer alone for months, and of course Ren could only take so many separations before he would break. How many times did Zuko leave him already? And each time, it had been more heartbreaking than the last.</p><p class="p1">Zuko lay down next to Ren and hugged him tight.</p><p class="p1">"I'm sorry," Ren said in a wrenched sob. "I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry for everything."</p><p class="p1">Zuko kissed him, and kissed him, and kissed him some more.</p><p class="p1">"You don't have to apologize," he said against his lips, "you really don't have to." He reached for Ren's hand and laced their fingers together. "Do you still love me?" he asked, and it was probably the most terrifying question he ever asked in his entire life.</p><p class="p1">He was there, naked against his lover, hoping that he would be forgiven, hoping that he would still be loved, even though he didn't deserve it at all. If... If he didn't have a place in Ren's heart anymore, then...</p><p class="p1">Before he could get more lost in his spiraling thoughts, Ren hugged him so tight his breath got knocked out of his chest.</p><p class="p1">"I DO!" Ren said with his whole lungs, "I love you, Zuko!" His voice turned into a sob again. "I love you... I love you I love you I love you." The words felt foreign on his tongue, after having spent so long without saying them. But it felt right. He relaxed his embrace and took the time to steady his breath, as if he was finally coming back to life. His headache finally dissipated.</p><p class="p1">"I love you too," Zuko said, and he got very frustrated by his lack of poetry skills, all of a sudden, because those short words really didn't portray what he was feeling at all. There was so much warmth in his chest, just wanting to pour out, but it had no vessel to pass through, no way to come out. Zuko mentally fustigated himself for not studying literature properly.</p><p class="p1">They held each other for a long, long while, just kissing and hugging, caressing each other's back, taking the time to find comfort in each other's embrace.</p><p class="p1">Zuko ran his fingers through Ren's soft locks. "You stopped wearing your headscarf," he observed, breaking the silence but leaving the intimacy intact.</p><p class="p1">A very faint smile appeared on Ren's lips. "I didn't. I just forgot to put in on. It's your fault for making me leave the house so early."</p><p class="p1">Zuko chuckled, "Is it so bad, though? There's no need for it anymore."</p><p class="p1">Ren simply hummed against Zuko's chest. What Zuko was saying was true. The man Ren was hiding from was long dead, by his own hands, and the Fire Nation was getting so peaceful most people's problems came from crows eating trash. Ren's headscarf had been a part of his life for so long, he had started wearing it again without really asking himself why he had to. Maybe he could wear his hair out, yes. Maybe he could.</p><p class="p1">Ren sighed, "That would mean I'd have to learn how to style my hair properly, though."</p><p class="p1">He had only ever known two options: braiding it, or letting it down. That brief period when he had the ribbon Jet gifted him was the only time he had ever tried to be a little more creative. It was only then, thinking back to Jet, that he realized he had lost the ribbon when he had cut off his braid in the caverns of Ba Sing Se. His heart stung a little.</p><p class="p1">"A topknot isn't that hard to do," Zuko said with a smile in his voice.</p><p class="p1">"I'm not gonna wear a topknot, Zuko, I'm not even Fire Nation. That'd be rude."</p><p class="p1">The Fire Nation people treasured their topknot. It was a mark of honor, and Ren had done nothing honorable enough to deserve wearing it. And now that he was finally at peace with his airbending roots, it made even less sense to think about wearing his hair that way.</p><p class="p1">"I consider you Fire Nation," Zuko said. "Didn't you live almost your whole life here? You left for a while, but me too. You're no less Fire Nation than I am."</p><p class="p1">Ren pulled himself up a little and looked at Zuko with a conflicted expression. He didn't talk right away, so Zuko felt like he had to elaborate. "I mean, I wouldn't be offended if you chose to be an Air Nomad instead. That would make perfect sense."</p><p class="p1">Ren got pulled out of his thoughts, and snorted. "No, Zuko, that would make no sense at all. Besides, I don't want to shave my head or get funky tattoos. My hair is already growing painfully slow."</p><p class="p1">"Would you really have to shave?"</p><p class="p1">"Aang would definitely want me to adhere to Air Nomad traditions, that's for sure."</p><p class="p1">Zuko tried to picture Ren in Aang's garbs and smiled. "You'd look weird bald."</p><p class="p1">Ren pinched Zuko's cheeks, chuckling, "Stop thinking about that!"</p><p class="p1">Zuko softened at the sight of Ren's smile, as if it was possible to get even softer at this point. He thought of how he had taken for granted that beautiful smile for so long, and silently swore to savor it more from now on. He raised his hand and brushed away the strands of hair covering Ren's eyes.</p><p class="p1">"Whatever nation, whatever identity you choose," Zuko said with all his heart poured into his words, "you're <em>my sun</em>, and that's all that matters to me."</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Chapter 4</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p class="p1">They fell asleep for a few hours after that. But not long before noon, Ren suddenly woke up in sweat. Zuko groaned something and rolled him back in bed, but Ren tried to wiggle out of his arms, though the size difference now made it relatively impossible.</p>
<p class="p1">“Zuko! I have to go!” he said, pushing away the big strong arms that he not-so-secretly didn't want to leave.</p>
<p class="p1">Zuko groaned again. “Why? Where?”</p>
<p class="p1">“To work! My boss is gonna kill me!”</p>
<p class="p1">Zuko sighed, and let him go. Ren dressed himself as fast as he could, and was about to leave, but then he realized he had forgotten something crucial.</p>
<p class="p1">He turned back and kissed Zuko on the lips.</p>
<p class="p1">Zuko smiled in the kiss. “Next week, Uncle wants the whole <em>Gaang</em> to meet up at his tea house in Ba Sing Se,” he said, holding Ren's hand for just a little bit longer.</p>
<p class="p1">Ren sighed. “After today, my boss will never let me take a day off, let alone an entire week!”</p>
<p class="p1">"What if I send you an official invitation?"</p>
<p class="p1">Ren paused for a second. "... That's not really fair, isn't it?"</p>
<p class="p1">Zuko smirked. "You're dating the Fire Lord, you get to decide what's fair game!"</p>
<p class="p1">Ren opened his eyes wide. It was... Yeah, he was dating <em>the Fire Lord himself</em>. But he had to stop thinking and run now, or he would be fired and homeless very soon. <em>Dating the Fire Lord, wow.</em></p>
<p class="p1">A week later, Ren travelled with Zuko to Ba Sing Se, using an official airship, but not the royal one. It wasn't an official visit to the Earth King, it was a simple vacation, so Zuko wanted to lie low. He had been the target of enough assassination attempts for the past year already.</p>
<p class="p1">Ren and him spent the trip in different rooms, Ren wanting to keep his identity hidden and their relationship secret. Of course it was the best course of action for the security of both of them, but Zuko couldn’t help his heart from stinging a little. Against his suggestion, Ren had once again put the headscarf back on. Zuko didn't understand what was scaring him so much. Was it being around soldiers? Ren had had bad experiences with them for sure, but those soldiers were different.</p>
<p class="p1">They arrived early in the morning, joining Iroh for breakfast and catching up over some of the finest tea Ren had ever had the chance to drink. Iroh had reopened his tea shop as soon as the city had been taken back from the Fire Nation, and the shop was now famous in the whole Earth Kingdom. Ren relaxed and changed to Earth Kingdom clothes that were much more relaxed than his kimono, and finally let go of the headscarf. It made Zuko's unease fade a little.</p>
<p class="p1">When Sokka arrived, he was greeted by Ren and Iroh setting up the table for lunch. He hugged both of them very tightly and gave a good ruffle to Ren's hair, now reaching his shoulders, Sokka smiling with sparkly eyes and a grin as big as the ocean. Ren suddenly realized Sokka had never seen him with long hair. When Sokka glanced around and silently asked where the Fire Lord was, Ren sheepishly pointed to the back door.</p>
<p class="p1">Zuko was in the garden, meditating. He was wearing his hair in a topknot, but without the royal hairpiece. He had removed the top layer of his robes, setting them nicely folded on the grass next to him.</p>
<p class="p1">Sokka got a flashback of the coronation ceremony, a year before. Zuko had been standing proudly in front of his people, his allies, and also probably many of his silent enemies, proclaiming the throne with words full of wisdom and a strong desire for peace. It had left a deep impression on Sokka, and he hadn't been able to stop himself from crying his eyes out when Zuko had received the royal hairpiece. Katara had made fun of him for it for months afterward.</p>
<p class="p1"><em>Even without the crown he looks so regal, </em>Sokka thought when he entered the garden.</p>
<p class="p1">Zuko opened his eyes when he heard the soft footsteps on the grass. He had to retain his grin from getting too big too fast, and it proved incredibly difficult when all Sokka did was tumbling him into a friendly brawl.</p>
<p class="p1">Sokka had sprung out like bamboo during the past year. He was now taller than Zuko by several inches, and he had put on quite a lot of muscle. The four year gap between the two young men was barely visible anymore.</p>
<p class="p1">They brawled together until Zuko pinned Sokka to the ground, knees pushing down on his shoulders. The very nice view of Zuko’s crotch gave Sokka a flashback of that time he had wrestled against Ren, a year before. And the same kind of blush bloomed on his cheeks.</p>
<p class="p1"><em>Okay maybe I was asking for it, </em>he thought as the blush crept to his ears.</p>
<p class="p1">But instead of getting embarrassed, he bursted out in laughter. Zuko chuckled and let him go.</p>
<p class="p1">“I missed you, buddy!” Sokka said as they separated.</p>
<p class="p1">Zuko gave him a good shove, grin as blinding as the sun. They caught their breaths, talking about what they had been up to these past few months.</p>
<p class="p1">"How have you been doing?" Zuko asked.</p>
<p class="p1">"Oh you know, the usual stuff," Sokka shrugged. "Helping my dad bring the tribe back on its feet. Shoveling snow, mostly."</p>
<p class="p1">“How is Suki?” Zuko asked. “I’ve been so busy I haven’t had the time to see her these past few weeks.”</p>
<p class="p1">Sokka lay down on the grass, resting on his elbows, head in his hands. "We broke up last week. We're not meant for long distance relationships."</p>
<p class="p1">Zuko <em>"ah"</em>-ed and tried to change topic as he lay down on his back next to his friend. "How's life back in the South Pole?" he asked after a while.</p>
<p class="p1">Sokka sighed. "... To be really honest, not that great."</p>
<p class="p1">Zuko glanced at him, surprised.</p>
<p class="p1">"I thought going home would make me feel like a hero coming back from war," Sokka explained, "but instead I feel like a loner who left his friends behind, even if I've never really had friends anyway. They're all way younger or way older than me."</p>
<p class="p1">Zuko nodded, compassionate. That was very similar to what he had felt when he had gone back to the Fire Nation.</p>
<p class="p1">"Dad's been really busy with the expansion of the village since we got in touch with the Northern Tribe and some of them want to emigrate. I've been helping with the planning and the construction." Sokka sighed, and glanced at Zuko, who was listening to him with all of his attention. Their faces were dangerously close, and Sokka looked away before his mind ran wild.</p>
<p class="p1">
  <em>Damn pretty Jerkbender.</em>
</p>
<p class="p1">"I used to love building stuff, you know," Sokka said, trying to focus his mind on what he was saying instead. "When my dad left, I built a training ground for the tribe's kids. I wanted to make them become fierce warriors, even though they were still small. Gotta start early, right? I even made a huuuge watchtower all by myself, and then you broke it with your stupid ship, and then I had to leave with Aang, and- oh I'm rambling, sorry."</p>
<p class="p1">Zuko chuckled, "No, no, go on, I wanna hear your stories!"</p>
<p class="p1">Sokka lit up for a moment, but then slouched down. There were no stories to tell, really.</p>
<p class="p1">He sighed again. "It doesn't feel rewarding anymore. I want to make stuff with my hands, and big blocks of snow don't cut it anymore. It's frustrating."</p>
<p class="p1">"Why not make something else in your free time?" Zuko asked.</p>
<p class="p1">"I tried!" Sokka replied, "I tried drawing, because even if I'm terrible at it, I really like doing it! But parchment paper is rare and valuable in the Pole, so I can't really use that. I can only use a stick and draw in the snow. Not ideal, I'm telling you."</p>
<p class="p1">He pouted, and Zuko thought he was <em>so damn cute</em>.</p>
<p class="p1">"And on top of that, every time I draw something, I feel like I'm waisting everyone's time. I shouldn't be drawing shapes in the snow, I should be cutting out snow bricks, or moving ice blocks around, or helping Dad plan new buildings, or teaching the kids geography or something."</p>
<p class="p1">"Sokka, I might be the worst person in the whole universe who could say that but... that's okay if you take time for yourself, you know."</p>
<p class="p1">"But I always feel like it's not! There's always something to do, and I'm the chief's son, so of course I should help. That's what I'm meant to do."</p>
<p class="p1">Zuko looked at him in the eyes. "Is that the life you want?"</p>
<p class="p1">Sokka inhaled sharply, and was about to reply, but he felt like Zuko had raised a good point. <em>Is this the life I want? </em>He picked at the dry skin on his lips while thinking about it. Iroh came to the garden, inviting the two friends to join everybody for lunch. They went inside together.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Chapter 5</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p class="p1">After lunch, Zuko and Iroh went on a walk in the garden. Ren and Sokka stayed inside, and Ren tried to teach Sokka Pai Sho, but they gave up fairly soon and leisurely lay onto the living room's tatami floor instead. Iroh had decorated his house in a delightful mix of Earth Kingdom and Fire Nation influences, which made Ren both feel at home and on an exotic vacation at the same time. Sokka didn't know anything about architecture, but he liked it very much.</p>
<p class="p1">“So! Tell me about you, Ren!" Sokka asked as he stretched his back. “How’s life in the Fire Nation?"</p>
<p class="p1">Ren knew that question was coming sooner or later, and sighed. He checked if Zuko wasn’t at hearing range, and then spoke, “Feels like shit."</p>
<p class="p1">Sokka was expecting anything but definitely not Ren swearing.</p>
<p class="p1">“I got a job in the best dressmaking shop in the capital," Ren said. "My boss is crazy talented and teaches me diligently, but she’s a bitch and she treats me like a slave."</p>
<p class="p1">Sokka just looked at him with the most bewildered expression.</p>
<p class="p1">Ren sighed, feeling remorse. “I take it back. I shouldn’t badmouth her like that. Sorry."</p>
<p class="p1">Sokka sat up and shoved him a little. “Hey buddy, it’s okay."</p>
<p class="p1">Ren pouted, leaning against Sokka's shoulders. Sokka felt like the good thing to do was to hug his friend, so he did that. "Come on, you have Zuko, it can't be that bad."</p>
<p class="p1">It made Ren even grumpier. "Yeah, Zuko..." he sighed.</p>
<p class="p1">Sokka raised his eyebrows in disbelief.</p>
<p class="p1">"We've been kind of in a slump for a while now," Ren elaborated.</p>
<p class="p1">"What? How? Why?" Sokka couldn't believe his ears. Ren and Zuko? In a slump? That perfect, lovey-dovey couple that went through the worst shit imaginable and yet somehow still managed to stay in love with each other? Really?</p>
<p class="p1">"Well, you know what happened with Azula," Ren said. "And how mad he was at me. And he was right to be, but then he just kind of forgot about me. For an entire year. You know why I wasn't at the coronation ceremony?"</p>
<p class="p1">Sokka shook his head.</p>
<p class="p1">"He just didn't send me an invitation. Like he forgot about it or something." Ren sighed again. "And then he comes back a year later and suddenly he loves me again, and acts as if nothing has changed. He doesn't even ask me how I've been. He doesn't even know the name of the shop I work for."</p>
<p class="p1">Sokka frowned. <em>Those two dumbasses!</em></p>
<p class="p1">He rolled his eyes. "Did you tell him all of this? That you feel like he doesn't care?"</p>
<p class="p1">"... I can't. He's the Fire Lord, he's super busy. He doesn't have time to worry about his needy lover. You know that."</p>
<p class="p1">"No, I don't know that, and you neither. Did he tell you he doesn't have time for you?" Ren shook his head slightly. "Did he tell you he doesn't care about you?" Again, Ren shook his head. "Then stop assuming and <em>ask</em>. You guys have been through so much together, you can't let this break you apart."</p>
<p class="p1">Ren sighed, and Sokka pulled back a little from the hug to look at him properly. Where was the confident teenager he became friends with years ago? The one who would demolish him in a sword fight in a matter of seconds, the one who would joke about dicks all day, the one who Sokka first thought was fragile as a moonflower but then realized was as strong as steel?</p>
<p class="p1">
  <em>Ren, what happened to you?</em>
</p>
<p class="p1">"You can't stay like that," Sokka said while tucking a strand of hair behind Ren's ear. "You're not yourself anymore. Go talk to Zuko."</p>
<p class="p1">Ren was looking down. "... I don't want to," he whispered.</p>
<p class="p1">"But you have to. Go talk to Zuko, or I'll go talk to him myself."</p>
<p class="p1">Ren shivered. "No!" He sighed again. "... I'll... I really don't want to..." Sokka raised an eyebrow, listening. "... but I'll go. Okay. I'll talk to him."</p>
<p class="p1">"When?"</p>
<p class="p1">"Tomorrow..." Sokka raised his eyebrow even higher. "Okay, fine. Tonight," Ren promised, rolling his eyes.</p>
<p class="p1">Sokka pulled on both of Ren's cheeks, making him grimace. Ren did the same to him, and Sokka pulled out his tongue, making weird gurgling noise. It pulled a chuckle out of Ren, and that was precisely the point.</p>
<p class="p1">Looking at them from the garden, Zuko smiled fondly. Iroh was raving about the gorgeous camellias that had just bloomed, picking some to make a bouquet.</p>
<p class="p1">"Lady Katara asked if she could bring her boyfriend," Iroh told Zuko.</p>
<p class="p1">Zuko's eyes widened. "She has a boyfriend?! I thought she was traveling with Aang?"</p>
<p class="p1">Iroh smiled as he headed inside together with his nephew. "She's been living here in Ba Sing Se for a few months now, working for the Earth King. She often comes here for tea, but I have yet to meet the boy."</p>
<p class="p1">Zuko really couldn't picture who could survive Katara's wrath long enough to be her boyfriend.</p>
<p class="p1">He chuckled. "Can't wait to meet him!"</p>
<p class="p1">
  <em>And speaking of the devil...</em>
</p>
<p class="p1">Katara knocked and opened the door right away, stepping inside like it was her own house, greeting Iroh loudly and calling him 'uncle'. Behind her stood a tall young man with brown disheveled hair.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Chapter 6</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>CW: someone's gender identity gets outted without their consent, and then some transphobic trash gets their ass kicked.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p class="p1">"Katara?!" Sokka yelped. Ren and Zuko both stopped breathing. The guy behind Katara was none other than Jet.</p>
<p class="p1">"Um, hi guys!" Katara looked a bit embarrassed, and her expression reminded Sokka of that day when Zuko suddenly turned good and wanted to join the Gaang. "So uh, yeah, this is my boyfriend, Jet."</p>
<p class="p1">Ren jumped on his feet and threw himself in Jet's arms. "You're alive!"</p>
<p class="p1">Zuko's and Sokka's jaws instantly dropped to the floor. Katara's slowly joined them.</p>
<p class="p1">Jet stumbled a bit. He couldn't believe his eyes. Ren was there! Hugging him! "I thought I'd never see you again!" he said, a large smile on his face.</p>
<p class="p1">"Me too! Sokka told me you got crushed by a rock!"</p>
<p class="p1">They both turned their head to the Water Tribe boy. "Oh," Sokka said. "Now that I think of it, I forgot to mention Jet didn't die that day, I think."</p>
<p class="p1">Ren laughed at the '<em>I think</em>' part, and hugged Jet even tighter, giggling with relief. Jet ran his fingers through Ren's hair with an intimacy that made Zuko, Sokka and Katara raise their eyebrows very high.</p>
<p class="p1">"You cut your hair," he observed.</p>
<p class="p1">"Yeah, I got in trouble with the Dai Li too," Ren replied, not bothered by the gesture at all.</p>
<p class="p1">Katara cleared her throat loudly.</p>
<p class="p1">"Oh." Ren let go of Jet. "Sorry. Yeah. I shouldn't- I'm happy to see you again. Glad you're fine."</p>
<p class="p1">His eyes found the cane in Jet's hand. Jet looked away and hid the wooden staff behind him. Katara took his arm and walked him to sit at the table. Jet was walking with wobbly legs, and he was leaning heavily on his cane. Ren's heart sank, but he pretended not to notice anything. He poured tea for the two newcomers and sat down next to Zuko. Sokka and Zuko were both glaring at Jet with unconcealed animosity.</p>
<p class="p1">"So uh..." Katara said, trying to end the awkward silence. "Yeah, Jet and I are together now. We found each other in Ba Sing Se and uh, yeah."</p>
<p class="p1">"Katara, I can't believe it," Sokka said coldly.</p>
<p class="p1">Jet wasn't paying him any attention. Instead, he was fighting an intense staring match with the Fire Lord. "Nice dress," he commented, trying to destabilize him.</p>
<p class="p1">"Oh thanks! It comes from my shop!" Ren replied, not really sure of what was going on. Zuko glanced at him, silently asking <em>'really?'</em>, and Ren nodded shyly, lips pinched. <em>So he doesn't even know where the royal robes are made?</em></p>
<p class="p1">Ren tried to avoid getting lost in his thoughts again, silencing the resentment that slowly filled his heart. "So uhm... I guess you guys know each other already?" he asked to change topic.</p>
<p class="p1">"Oh yes," Zuko said, glaring at Jet. "We <em>know</em> each other."</p>
<p class="p1">Jet glared even harder. "Don't tell me this is the infamous <em>boyfriend</em> of yours, Ren."</p>
<p class="p1">Zuko smirked. Jet was about to spew out some insults, but Katara interfered. "Jet, can you stop for a second? You promised you were gonna behave!"</p>
<p class="p1">He rolled his eyes and nodded.</p>
<p class="p1">Ren tried to come up with something to lighten up the mood. "So, how are the Freedom Fighters?"</p>
<p class="p1">"Longshot got Smellerbee pregnant."</p>
<p class="p1">A wind of dead silence gushed from the window. Zuko only vaguely recalled those names, but Katara and Sokka absolutely knew who they were, as they had fought alongside both of them during the invasion of the Fire Nation capital, on the day of the solar eclipse. As for Ren, Smellerbee had been one of his best friends in the Freedom Fighters, and Longshot had been his archery teacher. He used to be very close to both of them.</p>
<p class="p1">"What?" is all Ren managed to say. He really hoped he had heard wrong.</p>
<p class="p1">"Yeah. Longshot and Smellerbee. They're having a baby."</p>
<p class="p1">"But they're... what? Sixteen?"</p>
<p class="p1">"Yeah. It was an accident."</p>
<p class="p1">Ren shivered. "... Agni, what are they gonna do?"</p>
<p class="p1">Jet's face scrunched up when he heard Ren swear to 'Agni'. He had been happy to see his friend again until the presence of Zuko had reminded him Ren was actually from the Fire Nation, and they had parted because of this very reason. He crossed his arms. "They went back to the hideout. I don't know much else."</p>
<p class="p1">"They can't raise a baby up there!"</p>
<p class="p1">"Where are they gonna go?" Jet's gaze hardened. "It's not like they've got the <em>Fire Lord</em> to back them up."</p>
<p class="p1">Katara interfered before Ren had the chance to reply or Zuko had the chance to punch her boyfriend in the face. "Okay let's stop talking about that."</p>
<p class="p1">
  <em>Oh spirits, I knew this was a bad idea.</em>
</p>
<p class="p1">***</p>
<p class="p1">The rest of the day sailed fairly smoothly, Katara and Ren doing their best to dissipate any tension between Jet, Zuko and Sokka, and although it proved quite difficult, they masterfully dodged every rising storm on the way.</p>
<p class="p1">Aang and Toph arrived before dinner, and the whole Gaang finally reunited over a large feast.</p>
<p class="p1">"I wish Suki was here," Ren complained, his mouth full of roasted tigerchicken.</p>
<p class="p1">"We should hang out with her when we go back," Zuko said over his bowl of spicy noodles.</p>
<p class="p1">"You're still in contact?" Ren asked, eyebrows rising.</p>
<p class="p1">"You didn't know?" Sokka said. "Suki and a bunch of Kyoshi Warriors offered to be Zuko's personal bodyguards."</p>
<p class="p1">"She's been living in the capital for a while now," Zuko added. "She told me she misses you."</p>
<p class="p1">Ren looked down, eyes glazing over the tigerchicken bones left in his plate. <em>She wouldn't miss me if you got in touch sooner. </em>He shook the thought out of his head. "I- Yeah, we should hang out," Ren said, eyes unfocused.</p>
<p class="p1">Zuko sensed something was off, and took his hand under the table. He rubbed his thumb over the back, palm warm and soft against dry and cold knuckles, and the contact comforted Ren much more than he would have liked to admit.</p>
<p class="p1"><em>I can't even be mad at him, </em>he thought, annoyed.</p>
<p class="p1">After dinner, which had been fairly peaceful considering that now Aang was also there and also had some beef with Jet, Iroh suggested heating up a nice warm bath for everybody. He had just added a new Fire Nation style bathroom to his house, with a huge bathtub that was large enough for ten people.</p>
<p class="p1">Soon after, he came back and proudly announced, "The bath is ready! I heated it myself!"</p>
<p class="p1">"BOYS FIRST!" Sokka shouted and sprang up. Aang, Zuko and Jet joined him and headed out. Sokka pushed everybody out the door and turned around last second.</p>
<p class="p1">“Ren, you’re not coming?"</p>
<p class="p1">Ren glanced at Jet, who was still inside, and said, “... No, I’ll go later," eyes fluttering. He could feel his face heat up.</p>
<p class="p1">"... Why would you ask that, Sokka?" Jet said, wincing.</p>
<p class="p1">Sokka shrugged. "Ren is usually always the first to jump into the bath water, that's all I'm saying. But, whatever!"</p>
<p class="p1">Jet glared at Ren in total confusion. "Aren't you a girl? I can understand if you've bathed with Zuko, but why does it sound like you've already bathed with <em>Sokka</em>?"</p>
<p class="p1">Both Ren and Sokka's faces crumbled to pieces. Jet's eyes went back and forth between them.</p>
<p class="p1">"... Jet," Sokka said between his teeth, "Ren's not a girl."</p>
<p class="p1">Jet's jaw dropped. "WHAT???" he barked.</p>
<p class="p1">Zuko and Aang heard his voice and came back, wondering what was happening.</p>
<p class="p1">"You're a BOY?" Jet was fuming, voice full of disgust.</p>
<p class="p1">"Jet! I-" ... <em>I can explain? What is there to explain? </em>Ren didn't finish his sentence.</p>
<p class="p1">"Being Fire Nation wasn't enough already?! You're a fucking LIAR!"</p>
<p class="p1">"Why does it matter to you anyway?" Zuko asked, anger in his eyes. He went to take Ren's hand.</p>
<p class="p1">"It's disgusting! Look at <em>him</em>, wearing girl's clothes and stuff!"</p>
<p class="p1">"Jet! What are you saying?!" Katara said.</p>
<p class="p1">"I'm saying <em>he</em>'s GROSS!"</p>
<p class="p1">Ren stepped forward. "You know what is gross?" he asked calmly, right in front of Jet's face. "It's your entire attitude."</p>
<p class="p1">He soundbended around them. Only Jet could hear what he was saying.</p>
<p class="p1">Ren hissed, "You're mad because you jerked for months thinking about me, about my body, even though you knew I had a boyfriend and you could never have what you wanted."</p>
<p class="p1">Jet spat on him. "You're a MONSTER!"</p>
<p class="p1">Sokka punched Jet in the face so hard he almost passed out.</p>
<p class="p1">Iroh grabbed the Earth Kingdom boy by the elbow. "If you'll excuse me, Katara." He threw Jet and his cane outside of his house. "I won't let anybody disrespect a member of my own family like that in my own house. Get out, and never come back."</p>
<p class="p1"><em>A member of his own... family? </em>Ren blinked a few times.</p>
<p class="p1">"Don't worry too much about that," Iroh came back inside and patted Ren's arm gently. "There was once a time were society wasn't divided between boys and girls, and in my humble opinion, it was probably much more peaceful."</p>
<p class="p1">Ren sighed. "It must have been thousands of years ago."</p>
<p class="p1">They went back to sit at the table.</p>
<p class="p1">"I don't know about the Earth Kingdom," Iroh said, "but in the Fire Nation, some people are old enough to remember a time like this. When I was young, the elders didn't use the words 'boy' or 'girl', they talked about 'rising' and 'setting suns'."</p>
<p class="p1">"Wow, that's poetic!" Toph exclaimed.</p>
<p class="p1">Iroh poured some more tea and gave a cup to Ren. "Back in the old days, everybody was some form of sun, and nobody cared at which, hmm, 'time of the day' you were born... or whoever you loved."</p>
<p class="p1">"Then when did the boys and girls separation come in?" Zuko asked, very intrigued by the topic.</p>
<p class="p1">"It was your great grand-father, Fire Lord Sozin's idea. He wanted a society ruled by order, and segregating people based on their body shape was the first step he took. It meant he could decide of a more specific path for each gender, and forcefully recruited all men into his army. Women were made to work and carry the weight of the entire economy. He later extended the army recruiting to all firebenders."</p>
<p class="p1">"So it was all part of the war effort?!" Zuko's anger built up in his core. "He made generations of people uncomfortable with their own body just so that he could go to war?!"</p>
<p class="p1">"He did," Iroh deplored, "... but there's one good thing in this story."</p>
<p class="p1">Zuko raised his eyebrow.</p>
<p class="p1">"You can undo all of this if you wish to, Fire Lord Zuko."</p>
<p class="p1">A rush of pride and hope filled Zuko's chest. Yes, he would undo all of this. For Ren. For the love of his life.</p>
<p class="p1">Ren hid his hopeful smile behind his cup of tea, fingers lacing with Zuko's.</p>
<p class="p1">In the meantime, Katara and Jet had been yelling at each other in the street. She came back inside, crying, and hugged Ren. "I'm sorry, he's such a jerk sometimes."</p>
<p class="p1"><em>Yeah, 'sometimes'...</em> Zuko, Aang and Sokka all squinted.</p>
<p class="p1">Ren patted her back. "It's okay, you can't change him anyway."</p>
<p class="p1">Aang pulled Ren's elbow sheepishly. "Come on, let's finally go take that bath!"</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Chapter 7</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p class="p1">The bath was a very welcome one. Ren washed himself as fast as he could and dove into the bathtub with the grace of a turtlewhale. He had been longing for a nice cosy bath for months, and Iroh had heated it up at exactly the right temperature, which is to say, way too hot by Sokka's standards, and a bit too cold by Zuko's standards. Ren sank deeper until only his face was peeking through the surface, and sighed with contentment.</p>
<p class="p1">"Can you believe you almost passed on this because of a fucking douchebag?" Zuko told him as he sat down in the water next to him.</p>
<p class="p1">Ren's heart sank a little. He wasn't mad, he was... conflicted. Should he forgive Jet? Should he give him another chance? He knew Jet could be very opinionated, he just hadn't thought it could one day be against him. He pulled his head out of the water and sat up.</p>
<p class="p1">"Oh no," Sokka said, watching Ren's inner turmoil showing on his face, "don't you dare find him some excuses. Jet's an ass, and nothing else."</p>
<p class="p1">"But I did lie to him."</p>
<p class="p1">"Did you tell him you were a girl?" Zuko asked.</p>
<p class="p1">Ren shook his head. "No. But I never corrected him when he said I was one."</p>
<p class="p1">Sokka stood up and sighed.</p>
<p class="p1">"That doesn't excuse anything," he said. "He insulted you. Right in front of us. That's game over. If I see him again...-"</p>
<p class="p1">Zuko's and Ren's gazes made Sokka loose his train of thought. They were both looking at him like he was the tastiest meal their eyes had ever laid upon. Sokka blinked a few times, not sure of if he was incredibly embarrassed or fucking proud to be looked at like that. Both of their gazes followed the same track, going from Sokka's pecs to his abs, and then further down...</p>
<p class="p1">
  <em>Are they staring at my dick?</em>
</p>
<p class="p1">They both looked away at the same time, Ren glancing at the ceiling, Zuko at his kneecaps, blinking furiously like it would fan out their creeping blush.</p>
<p class="p1">"If I see him again I'm gonna make him swallow his stupid cane!" Sokka said sternly, and then realized how dirty it sounded when Aang made a face like he really didn't want to picture that.</p>
<p class="p1"><em>Oh Sokka, you should not think about dick and then about swallowing, that's a very slippery slope you're walking on, </em>Sokka thought silently, and before the shame could run down his spine, he plunged into the bathtub, and loudly shrieked at the heat, making Aang, Zuko and Ren burst in laughter.</p>
<p class="p1">He would never get accustomed to the heat, there was absolutely no way he would.</p>
<p class="p1">***</p>
<p class="p1">They covered the whole living room with mattresses and organized a big slumber party. They tried to play games, but Ren was terrible at explaining Pai Sho and Zuko wasn't much better either. So they played Truth or Dare instead, but the age gap really made things difficult. The questions all had to stay pretty tame, and you can only ask 'did you have your first kiss?' once before it gets boring. Sokka still found a lot of fun in daring Zuko to style his hair like Katara, with the loops and stuff.</p>
<p class="p1">At some point during the evening, Zuko whispered something to Ren, smiling softly, but Ren frowned. He then glanced at Sokka, resolved, and pulled Zuko outside.</p>
<p class="p1"><em>Zuko probably didn't expect some serious talk tonight, </em>Sokka worried.</p>
<p class="p1">But when the two lovers came back a while later, Ren was smiling happily and Zuko was looking at him like he was his whole world, and it made Sokka sigh with relief.</p>
<p class="p1">The evening came to an end when Toph started snoring loudly in the middle of a Fire Nation card game Zuko couldn't remember the full ruleset of, and everyone agreed that it was time for bed.</p>
<p class="p1">Sokka woke up in the middle of the night, pulled out of an uninteresting dream by the warmth of the room. He went to breathe some fresh air at the window, and turned around to look at his sleeping friends. Aang looked like he had lost a battle against his pillows. Toph slept with her body laid entirely straight, next to Katara who was wrapped so well in her blanket you could only see the tip of her nose. Zuko was sharing his bed with Ren, spooning him, his face buried in the white feathery hair. Ren's bed was empty next to them. Sokka couldn't help but smile looking at those two. <em>I love them so much. I just love them so much.</em></p>
<p class="p1">In complete silence, Ren slowly looked up, meeting Sokka's gaze. A brief moment passed, where Ren and Sokka looked at each other, talking a silent language that only them could understand, eerie conversation only broken when Zuko groaned and shifted a little. Ren patted the empty bed next to him. Sokka slid himself under the cover, and shivered sharply as thin cold legs tangled with his own. Burning hot hands soon joined too, sliding over his chest, pulling him close. Sokka closed his eyes, and felt himself slip into a warm, intimate dream of fire feathers and golden clouds. The next morning, he woke up late, sprawled across the two beds, and very, very well rested. He wondered if any of this had really happened.</p>
<p class="p1">"I swear he's not like that!" Katara raised her voice.</p>
<p class="p1">"Okay, okay, I wasn't trying to upset you," Aang said. "I'm just worried about you, that's all."</p>
<p class="p1">"I knew taking him here was a bad idea, but Jet is a good person, I swear. I hoped that maybe he had matured. I'm sorry I was wrong." Katara was crying, and Aang was rubbing her back. They were sitting at the table, eating breakfast. Sokka got up and sat in front of them. Katara stopped talking.</p>
<p class="p1">"It's okay, go on," Sokka told her. "I'm just here to stuff my face, I don't care."</p>
<p class="p1">He helped himself and filled up his plate, and then carried it to the garden. Ren and Zuko were sparring, Zuko bare-chested, Ren in his under robes, Toph supervising them and pointing out their stances or their footwork. Ren looked so small compared to Zuko, it was kind of funny. But even with the size difference, he could face Zuko without too much trouble. He had made a lot of progress during the past year! Both weren't using bending, or the whole house would have either burned to the ground already, or crumbled to pieces, or both.</p>
<p class="p1">What Sokka would give to see Ren go full out in battle! With both airbending and his sabers! But now that the world was at peace, there was no reason to fight anymore. Sokka missed swordfighting dearly. And he felt really guilty that he missed the war for such a selfish reason. But he still missed it, because the war meant he had a good reason to scour the world and fight and make up battle strategies and... yeah, he missed the time he was with his friends, only thinking about how to defeat the Fire Lord and what to feed Appa that night.</p>
<p class="p1">Aang came to the garden and pulled Sokka out of his thoughts. Ren had yielded after Zuko had pinned him to the ground, and they were now both cooling down, stretching leisurely on the grass.</p>
<p class="p1">"Hey Ren, could you teach me how you do the soundbending thing?" Aang asked. "And also the teleportation trick! I tried to do it but I have no idea how you do that with no wind!"</p>
<p class="p1">Ren beamed. "Sure!" he said, and then proceed to explain with as much detail as he could. "It's the same technique for both, actually. You know that sound comes from vibrations in the air, right?" Aang nodded. "Soundbending mostly consists of making the air vibrate at different frequencies. So it doesn't actually move around that much, and that's why it produces no wind. With that technique, if you make your body vibrate fast enough, it gets harder and harder to see. I bet if you manage to do it for long enough you could actually become invisible, but I can't do that yet. Instead, I use the momentum to propel myself forward, and it looks like I disappear and reappear somewhere else."</p>
<p class="p1">Aang's eyes sparkled. "How far can you go like that?"</p>
<p class="p1">"A hundred meters? Maybe a little bit more. But it took me a lot of practice to reach such a distance. When Zuko and I met, I could only do three meters max."</p>
<p class="p1">"Wow, that's crazy! Let me try!"</p>
<p class="p1">Aang closed his eyes and concentrated really hard on making his body vibrate. A second later, there was a loud bang coming from the tree behind Ren, and suddenly unripped apples were raining down all over the garden.</p>
<p class="p1">"OUCH!" Aang exclaimed. He had banged himself right into the apple tree, head first. All his friends bursted out in laughter.</p>
<p class="p1">"Oops," Ren said as he suppressed a laugh, "I should have told you that getting the trajectory right requires quite a lot of patience."</p>
<p class="p1">Aang sat down and rubbed his forehead. "At least now I know how it works." He thought for a moment, trying to remember something. "Oh! You said something about bending your own voice, back in the Western Air Temple. I've been thinking about that and I'm so curious! Can you mimic someone else's voice?"</p>
<p class="p1">Ren smiled mischievously.</p>
<p class="p1">"<em>Hello, Zuko here!</em>" he said with Zuko's voice, so incredibly alike Aang glanced at Zuko in surprise, and only then realized the voice came from Ren. Zuko's jaw dropped in amazement.</p>
<p class="p1">Ren grinned. "<em>I'm the cutest turtleduck!</em>" he said with Zuko's voice again.</p>
<p class="p1">Aang prepared himself for Zuko's wrath, but instead the Fire Lord just laughed.<em> Wow, how Zuko has changed!</em> Aang thought. A year before, he would have combusted in flames, probably.</p>
<p class="p1">"Is it the same thing?" Aang asked. "Making vibrations?"</p>
<p class="p1">"Yeah! It's much more intricate though," Ren said, "so you have to gauge it really precisely."</p>
<p class="p1">Aang tried to imitate Sokka's voice, but it sounded more like Gran Gran, and it gave everybody a good laugh.</p>
<p class="p1">Sokka glanced at Ren's smile, and thought, <em>I missed this so much</em>.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Aang: so you see, airbending uses the energy of the body! Look within yourself, find your chakras!<br/>Ren: hehehe airbending go brrr</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Chapter 8</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>CW: things get steamy after they come back home</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p class="p3">The next day, Sokka, Ren and Zuko shared tea after lunch. All of a sudden, Sokka put his palms on the table. "You two. What are you still doing here?"</p>
<p class="p3">Ren and Zuko both raised their eyebrows, looking like two cats caught stealing food.</p>
<p class="p3">"Go. On. A. Date." Sokka gritted his teeth, unable to believe he had to tell them. "Today! Go on a date! You've never had one, right?"</p>
<p class="p3">The two lovers glanced at each other and blinked, blushing. Well, there was that one 'date' when they had hunted for the Avatar and only found Avatar Kyoshi's statues and dolls, but it didn't really count, did it? Sokka was right, they had never gone on a date. He pushed his two idiot friends out the door and forbade them from coming back before sunset.</p>
<p class="p3">"Uh... where do we go now?" Ren asked.</p>
<p class="p3">"I don't know, where do you want to go?" Zuko asked with a soft smile. Oh, how many things he wanted to do with Ren! "Or we can just go on a walk and see where it leads us?"</p>
<p class="p3">Ren smiled. "Sounds good!"</p>
<p class="p3">They headed west, but something was off. Something extremely important. Zuko got closer as they walked, close enough that their arms were touching, and slid his hand between Ren's cold fingers. Ren got startled a little, but before he could object, Zuko cut him off.</p>
<p class="p3">"Nobody knows us here," he reassured Ren, "and I'm not wearing anything from the Fire Nation. Not even underwear!"</p>
<p class="p3">Ren blinked a few times. "... You're not wearing underwear?"</p>
<p class="p3">Zuko choked on his own saliva. "NO!" he blurted, "I mean YES! I AM wearing underwear! Oh Agni, what are you making me say?!"</p>
<p class="p3">Ren bursted out in laughter. He felt his chest expand wider, like it was all of a sudden getting free of lifelong restraints. He couldn't stop laughing, his giggles reaching a very cute high pitch that Zuko had never heard before. He wiped down the tears of laughter with his sleeves, but more kept coming out.</p>
<p class="p3">Zuko pulled him by the arm to the nearest park, and they sat on a bench under a cherry tree, Ren struggling to calm his hiccups while still giggling, Zuko resting his head over his lover's shoulder. Had it been this long since Ren had last tasted happiness? He never wanted to let go of it again. The wind blew through the tree leaves, a melodious harmony that reminded Ren of a song he loved dearly. And just because he could, he started singing softly. (<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D2oRlDjLhGg">link</a>)</p>
<p class="p3">Zuko sat back up, utterly amazed. He never actually had heard Ren sing before. The lyrics were in a language that both Zuko and Ren didn't understand, but it didn't matter at all. The sweet lullaby-like melody made the intent very clear. Ren put his hand against the tree bark, and the breeze sweeping through the leaves instantly turned into a harmonious orchestra, accompanying his love song. With his other hand, Ren took Zuko's and put it to his heart, hoping that the touch would convey the meaning of the melodious poem, even when the words themselves couldn't.</p>
<p class="p3">"My mum used to sing this song to my dad," Ren said a while after the aria had slowly dissipated in the air, caressing Zuko's head, now back on his shoulder. "I don't know what the lyrics mean, and she didn't either. But I'm pretty sure it's meant to be a love song."</p>
<p class="p3">Zuko laced their fingers together. "You don't know what language it is?"</p>
<p class="p3">"My guess is that it's probably the language my ancestors used to speak. Or the ancestors of my ancestors, because it's not a language Aang knows either. It must be quite ancient."</p>
<p class="p3">Zuko's heart stung a little. "You sang for Aang?" <em>And not for me first?</em></p>
<p class="p3">Ren definitely heard the slight bitterness in his lover's voice. "No, I just recited the lyrics," he said. He would definitely never tell Zuko that the first person he sang for was Sokka. There were certain things that were better kept secret.</p>
<p class="p3">"It's getting hot," Zuko said.</p>
<p class="p3">"Is it? It's nothing compared to back home," Ren said, and for some reason it made Zuko's heart sizzle with happiness when Ren called the Fire Nation 'home'. He tried to recall a time when Ren had called it 'home', back when they were on the hunt for the Avatar, and he couldn't recall it happening at all. It might actually have been the first time he had heard Ren call it that way, and his chest filled with tenderness.</p>
<p class="p3">"It's getting hot enough that I want some ice cream!" Zuko said and stood up, pulling Ren up with him.</p>
<p class="p3">"Are you a fairy?" a small voice called from behind. They turned around, and saw a small child, probably too young to go to school yet, approaching with sparkling eyes. "You sing like a fairy!" he said to Ren.</p>
<p class="p3">Ren smiled warmly, and squatted down to be at eye level with the child. "Maybe I am a fairy," he said, and attracted a small leaf from the tree, making it fall right onto the little one's nose. The child laughed with wonder.</p>
<p class="p3">"A-Ying!" A woman came and picked the child up. "A-Ying, what are you doing, bothering people like that! I'm so sorry!" she apologized to the couple, and ran back to where she came from. The little A-Ying waved goodbye before he disappeared behind the garden's bushes.</p>
<p class="p3">"You're good with kids," Zuko observed.</p>
<p class="p3">"I don't think it's anything special," Ren replied, and took Zuko's hand to lead him to the nearest street vendor. Ice cream wasn't hard to find at this time of the year in Ba Sing Se.</p>
<p class="p3">It took them a long time to pick a flavor, there were so many to choose from! In the end, Zuko picked strawberry and Ren went for vanilla. These were international basics, no risk of being disappointed!</p>
<p class="p3">They continued walking hand in hand in the streets of Ba Sing Se, eating ice cream and chatting. The wind was blowing gently, ruffling Ren's soft hair a little. Zuko was amazed, amazed that he was finally able to have the date of his dreams, and amazed that of all the people on this planet, it was Ren who he was lucky enough to be loved by. He watched his lover, just because he could. Ren looked like a small bird, always glancing everywhere. Anything could catch his attention, and once it had gotten it, his silver eyes would sparkle like stars.</p>
<p class="p3">They passed in front of a fabric store, and of course Ren wanted to go in. He chatted with the vendor, talking about how the fabric was made, and what sort of dyes they used and so on. Zuko leaned against the wall near the entrance and watch Ren stroll around the shop, in his element. At some point, Ren noticed Zuko's gaze, and smiled so blindingly brightly that Zuko's heart skipped a beat.</p>
<p class="p3">
  <em>Why am I surprised? Of course he can still do that to me!</em>
</p>
<p class="p3">When they got out of the store, maybe an hour later, Zuko pulled Ren to the closest alleyway and kissed him senseless, pushing him against the wall. Their lips were hot and desperate, asking to be bruised. Their tongues twisted and tangled together, wet and burning and so, so passionate. Their breaths melted together, still tasting the sweetness of ice cream in each other's mouth. There was a certain tension between their bodies, like a string that was about to snap.</p>
<p class="p3">They parted, and suddenly the fact that they still hadn't had their reunion sex hit them as an absolutely unbearable thing.</p>
<p class="p3">"Do you think Sokka will really kick our asses if we come back early?" Ren asked, chuckling against Zuko's lips.</p>
<p class="p3">"I don't know," Zuko replied, not leaving Ren's lips. His hands ran down Ren's neck, brushed over his shoulders and his back and landed on his hips. "Should we take the risk?" he said, wiggling his eyebrow.</p>
<p class="p3">"I might combust if I don't get my hands in your pants in the next hour," Ren said, and pulled Zuko by the hand to the main street, running.</p>
<p class="p3">They ran until they reached the front door, and then tried to catch their breath before they entered, looking innocent, but Sokka opened the door with a dissatisfied look on his face before they could.</p>
<p class="p3">"You two," is all he said.</p>
<p class="p3">"Yes, we know!"Ren said, still out of breath. "But Zuko dropped ice cream inside his sleeve and it's super sticky and gross and it keeps attracting bees!" <em>Thanks Agni that the Earth Kingdom garments have super long sleeves too!</em></p>
<p class="p3">Sokka rolled his eyes. "Okay, I get it. Come in."</p>
<p class="p3">***</p>
<p class="p3">"That was such a stupid lie, I can't believe it worked!" Zuko chuckled as he changed clothes in the bathroom.</p>
<p class="p3">Ren hauled him up against the wall once he was shirtless. "I don't care, it worked," he said and ravished Zuko's lips.</p>
<p class="p3">"Wait, wait, anyone can come in," Zuko said and gently pushed him away. He put on a shirt and said "wait here!" and went back to the living room. Fortunately, only Sokka was there, all the others had gone to the garden, enjoying the sun.</p>
<p class="p3">"Hey, uhm, Sokka..." Zuko said sheepishly.</p>
<p class="p3">Sokka raised an eyebrow, getting somewhat of a bad feeling from Zuko's strange behavior.</p>
<p class="p3">Zuko inhaled. "Could I ask you a favor?"</p>
<p class="p3">Sokka nodded. "Go on."</p>
<p class="p3">Zuko scratched his head, visibly embarrassed. "Could you, uh... make sure that, uhm... nobody goes near the bathroom... for the next hour or so?" A bright red blush gradually spread all over his face as he talked.</p>
<p class="p3">Sokka blinked a few times. "Why?" he asked before thinking, and then froze once he guessed the answer by himself. Fortunately, Zuko noticed the look on his face and only pinched his lips, looking away. Sokka definitely didn't want to hear the answer. Oh no, he didn't.</p>
<p class="p3">"... Fine," is what Sokka said, and to this day he still doesn't know why he agreed to that.</p>
<p class="p3">When Zuko came back, he was welcome by the very nice sight of Ren stroking himself hard, robes parted, sitting against the bathtub over towels he had placed on the ground.</p>
<p class="p3">“I hoped to find hair oil or something, but couldn’t find any,” he said as if he was talking about groceries.</p>
<p class="p3">Zuko undressed, looking at him in the eyes. “So no good fucking today, uh? We’ll have to make up for that later,” he said as he straddled Ren.</p>
<p class="p3">“Did you find a way to block the door?” Ren asked as he grabbed Zuko’s cock and started stroking it too.</p>
<p class="p3">Zuko gasped. “Sokka’s making sure nobody comes here,” he said after adjusting to the touch.</p>
<p class="p3">Once they were both completely hard, Ren let go of their cocks and started massaging Zuko’s entire body instead, pulling him closer. Zuko couldn’t help but grind his hips against Ren’s stomach, eager for contact. Ren’s mouth was hard at work, leaving a trail of hickeys all over Zuko’s shoulder and pec. He reached his nipple, and flicked it with his tongue, making Zuko moan softly.</p>
<p class="p3">“Do you like it when I play with your nipples?” Ren asked in a tone that made Zuko shiver.</p>
<p class="p3">“I-I do,” he gasped, and he couldn't believe he was saying it aloud.</p>
<p class="p3">Ren noticed his cock twitching when he replied, and smirked. “And you like it when I ask you to tell me what you like,” he said more as an observation than a question.</p>
<p class="p3">“Ah! I do!” Zuko moaned as Ren bit on his nipple. His cock started leaking, as if it was trying to participate in the conversation. He spread his legs further, asking for something he couldn’t have. “Agni, I want your fingers so bad,” he whined.</p>
<p class="p3">Ren kissed Zuko on the lips. “Maybe if I only put one in, it won’t hurt?” he suggested.</p>
<p class="p3">“I’ll go mad if we don’t try,” Zuko said in a mix of a chuckle and a moan, his dick rocking hard against Ren’s. He was just so, so turned on.</p>
<p class="p3">Ren delicately slid one digit inside, going so slow it almost broke Zuko. It didn’t hurt, oh no it didn’t, it just gave Zuko the taste of the thing he wanted the most but couldn’t have, and he couldn’t decide if it was better or worse than before.</p>
<p class="p3">Instead of moving back and forth and taking the risk of hurting him, Ren opted for moving inside in circles. This got some new and quite encouraging reactions out of the Fire Lord. Although not often wordy, Zuko had always been quite the vocal lover, but this time it reached new heights. Ren mentally thanked himself for always making Zuko secure enough that he had never felt the need to restrain his voice. His loud breathy moans were music to Ren’s ears.</p>
<p class="p3">An idea popped out in his mind.</p>
<p class="p3">Ren kissed his way to Zuko’s ear and softly bit his lobe. “Sokka’s guarding the door, right?" he said, eyes full of lust.</p>
<p class="p3">Zuko whimpered, "Yes-ah!" Ren's finger had found the right spot and relentlessly rubbed against it.</p>
<p class="p3">"What if I..." Ren licked the lobe and then whispered, "what if I cut off the soundproofing?"</p>
<p class="p3">Zuko's eyes rolled back as he moaned with his whole chest.</p>
<p class="p3">"Is that a 'yes'?" Ren asked as he bit the skin behind Zuko’s ear.</p>
<p class="p3">Zuko nodded with enthusiasm. Ren pulled back a little and looked at Zuko in the eyes, making sure there was no hesitation in them.</p>
<p class="p3">Then he whispered, "Suck my cock."</p>
<p class="p3">Zuko breathed out a small flame as he hauled Ren up the bathtub wall, entire mind already succumbed to lust.</p>
<p class="p3">
  <em>"Mmh! Ah! So hot!"</em>
</p>
<p class="p3">Sokka jumped to his feet. He had been sitting down, leaning against the bathroom door, waiting for this bloody hour to be over already.</p>
<p class="p3">
  <em>"Ah! Zuko! Your mouth!"</em>
</p>
<p class="p3">No way, no way, there was absolutely no way!</p>
<p class="p3">
  <em>"You're so good, ah! You're perfect!"</em>
</p>
<p class="p3">Sokka squeezed his eyes very hard, hoping that it would somehow turn him deaf.</p>
<p class="p3">
  <em>"Mmph! You take my cock so well!"</em>
</p>
<p class="p3">Sokka wanted to pull his hair out.</p>
<p class="p3">
  <em>"You like it when I pull on your hair, uh? You like it so much, AH!"</em>
</p>
<p class="p3">Sokka blushed so hard even his toes turned pink.</p>
<p class="p3">Fortunately, the door muffled their sounds enough that nobody else could hear anything. Sokka could step a few meters away and he would stop hearing them completely. But did he step away? Oh no. Of course he didn't. He was physically incapable of moving, even if his whole mind was screaming at him to do so. His heart, together with his groin, had won the control of his entire body. He could only close his eyes and endure, while somehow keep being alert enough to listen to incoming footsteps.</p>
<p class="p3">
  <em>Zuko, you owe me so much.</em>
</p>
<p class="p3">Ren came in Zuko's mouth in a drawn out moan that sounded almost like a sob. He was so oversensitive he wanted to cry.</p>
<p class="p3">"Fuck my face!" he said without thinking in his post-orgasm haze, but then he thought about it more seriously and came to the conclusion that it was fucking good idea. He dropped to his knees, taking Zuko's face in his hands. "Use me," he said with more intent, and he hoped his suddenly heavy lidded eyes were still conveying how much he wanted this. It took no more convincing before Zuko was standing, cock proudly poking Ren's cheek. "Come on my face-ah- ...!"</p>
<p class="p3">Zuko had slid his entire cock down Ren's mouth in one sleek motion, muffling his words. He fucked him relentlessly, fist full of his hair, hitting the back of his mouth and making him cry, and Ren was <em>loudly</em> showing his appreciation with muffled moans and wet mouth noises.</p>
<p class="p3"><em>This is </em>exactly<em> what I asked for,</em> he thought, and he pushed Zuko's cock further down his throat when he felt Zuko pulling him out, choking on it but fighting through the coughs.</p>
<p class="p3">"I'm coming! Ren! I'm coming!" Zuko warned. Ren let him pull him back by the hair, and the second Zuko's cock popped out of his mouth, it spurted cum all over Ren's face.</p>
<p class="p3">That night, Zuko and Ren slept snuggly against each other, and Sokka picked the bed that was the furthest away from the couple.</p>
<p class="p3">Ren dreamt of Zuko topping him, penetrating him with soft whispers and wet kisses, and at first it was actually quite pleasant, but then the dream fast-forwarded to Ren's belly getting big and round and <em>pregnant</em>, and Ren giving birth to twins, and...</p>
<p class="p3">Ren woke up in the middle of the night gasping for air, covered in sweat.</p>
<p class="p3">
  <em>Agni, what was that?</em>
</p>
<p class="p3">He focused on his breathing for a while, trying to calm down his heartbeat, but... okay, he would never get pregnant, but he had to have kids at some point, right?</p>
<p class="p3">The reality of being almost the last of his kind finally hit him, and it hit him <em>hard</em>.</p>
<p class="p3">
  <em>I... I have no choice, do I? I must, somehow, have kids? Even if I don’t like women?</em>
</p>
<p class="p3">He stayed awake afterward, completely unable to fall back to sleep. Fortunately, the sun soon rose.</p>
<p class="p3">"Hey Sokka," Zuko said over breakfast, and he tried very hard to look at his friend without blushing or letting his thoughts wander. "So I've thought about something and I wanted to ask you..."</p>
<p class="p3"><em>I'm never EVER doing you any favor again!</em> Sokka wanted to yell, but he couldn't bring himself to say it. And he didn't know why. Or, to be exact, he really didn't want to ask himself why he didn't actually want to never have another opportunity to hear Zuko and Ren’s shamelessness.</p>
<p class="p3">"You thought about what?" he asked instead, and he tried very hard not to sound angry or anything that could resemble shame.</p>
<p class="p3">"You know, you told me about how you don't feel happy in the South Pole anymore and stuff," Zuko said. "So I thought about it and uh..."</p>
<p class="p3">This sparked Sokka's interest. "Yeah?"</p>
<p class="p3">"How about you come to the Fire Nation as an ambassador? Currently, there's no direct communication between the Southern Water Tribe and my country, and I think this could be good for both of them. We could work together on opening sea routes and stuff..."</p>
<p class="p3">Sokka put his hand over Zuko's shoulder. "Yes."</p>
<p class="p3">Zuko raised his eyebrow. "Yes to?"</p>
<p class="p3">Sokka's eyes sparkled like they had never before. "Yes to everything. I'll come. Let me talk about it with my dad and I'll come to you. Just wait for me."</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Ren's song: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D2oRlDjLhGg">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D2oRlDjLhGg</a></p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Chapter 9</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Ren and Zuko finally get their reunion sex!</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>CW: the whole chapter is smut.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p class="p1">The morning of their fourth day in Ba Sing Se, a letter came in from the Fire Nation, and Zuko unfortunately announced that he would have to leave at the end of the day. He asked Ren if he wanted to stay for longer, but of course Ren said no. They would leave together shortly after sunset, and arrive the next morning.</p><p class="p1">Ren wrapped his head with the black scarf again and went straight to his dedicated room on the airship, without a glance at the Fire Lord. Zuko sighed internally. He would never change his mind, would he? But it wasn't going to stop Zuko from getting what he wanted. After checking that everyone had headed to bed, the Fire Lord snuck into Ren's room.</p><p class="p1">"Before you scold me, I swear nobody saw me!" he said, putting a finger in front of his mouth.</p><p class="p1">Ren rolled his eyes and pulled him into a kiss. "You're horny, aren't you?" he said when they parted, raising an eyebrow.</p><p class="p1">Zuko smiled sheepishly. "Well, we have oil here," he said, showing the bottle he had been hiding behind his back.</p><p class="p1">Ren laughed and made him sit onto the bed, straddling him. He gently pulled Zuko's hair out of his topknot, massaging his scalp gently in the process. His ebony hair, incredibly soft and smooth, reached his shoulders now, flowing down like a river. It framed his face beautifully.</p><p class="p1">Zuko hugged Ren, squeezing his face against his chest. He inhaled his lover's scent, feeling his small frame wrapped inside of his arms. Zuko savored that moment, trying to see and hear and feel every little detail. He glanced around. The room looked a lot like their old bedroom, back on the ship a few years earlier. Zuko smiled thinking about that time.</p><p class="p1">"I dreamt of us last night," Ren said with a small voice, making Zuko look up. "You were topping me," he added, much shyer than usual.</p><p class="p1">"Do you want to try it?" Zuko asked, eyebrow high on his forehead. They had never talked about switching since that time Ren had talked about his childhood hardships. Ren shyly nodded. Zuko cupped his face gently. "You don't have to, you know?"</p><p class="p1">"I want to try," Ren said with more resolve.</p><p class="p1">"Okay," Zuko said with a warm voice, "but you have to promise me that you'll immediately tell me to stop if anything makes you uncomfortable. I will be very mad if you force yourself," he faked a frown, which made his lover snort.</p><p class="p1">"I promise," Ren said, solemn. He pulled on his headscarf and revealed his white hair, prompting Zuko to tangle his fingers in it. They kissed softly, and then more passionately, until they were both out of breath and too hot to stay clothed. Zuko reached for Ren's belt and tugged on it unceremoniously, while Ren opened the royal night robes on which he had recognized his boss' embroideries. "As long as you're still dressed, I'll never be able to stop thinking about work," he chuckled.</p><p class="p1">"Is this also from your shop?" Zuko asked, curious.</p><p class="p1">"Looks like it was my boss' work," Ren said, fingers brushing on the golden threads. "I heard that she has been working for your family for decades."</p><p class="p1">"I've never known any of the people that made my clothes," Zuko said, a bit ashamed.</p><p class="p1">"That's not surprising," Ren said, "most orders are fulfilled with no contact between the maker and the client. It's how the business works." He tugged on the collar and pulled it down, freeing Zuko's chest from his clothed prison. "Let's stop talking about work," he said, and started kissing the Fire Lord's exposed skin.</p><p class="p1">Zuko inhaled sharply, a little ticklish. He closed his eyes and let himself slowly fall onto the mattress, feeling the warmth and the softness of Ren's body against his chest. He peeled off the layers of black kimono that were still wrapped around his lover, while Ren stripped him off completely. Their naked bodies crushed against each other, passionate and cosy and comforting. Zuko remembered the first time it had happened, and how anxious and awkward and yet so tender it was. He flipped them over, to replicate the scene of his memories, and wrapped Ren's legs around his waist. Ren blushed really hard at the contact, thinking about what was about to come.</p><p class="p1">"Still okay?" Zuko checked. Ren nodded, but his lover felt how tense he was, and started to give him a full body massage instead of pushing things forward. They had all night anyway, no need to rush.</p><p class="p1">Zuko left a trail of kisses down his neck, and started nibbling at his nipple, like he himself liked so much. But contrary to Zuko the previous day, it didn't turn Ren into a panting mess, barely having any effect on him. So Zuko proceeded down, leaving butterfly kisses all over Ren's tummy, until he reached between his thighs. His hot breath and soft hair brushing over Ren's skin were reassuring, but Ren couldn't help but feel very tense. Zuko kissed his inner thighs, leaving marks and hickeys that he would be the only person ever to see. He caressed the soft legs with his warm hands, running down to the ankles and back to the joint between the leg and the groin. His fingers brushed against Ren's most sensitive skin, making him whimper softly. Zuko kissed the crease under his balls, hot breath making Ren loose his mind. An adventurous hand wrapped around his cock and started stroking it, while the other made him lift one leg up.</p><p class="p1">Ren closed his eyes, trying to suppress a shiver. He was so damn self-conscious, much worse than he had ever been with Zuko, even during their first time together. He tried to remind himself that there was no reason to be scared, but a gut-wrenching feeling started slowly rising when Zuko kissed his way down between his thighs. Ren knew how much he loved eating his lover out, and Zuko seemed to enjoy it very much, but being on the receiving end was so different and new and embarrassing and... not a good sensation at all. It's when Zuko brushed a finger against his entrance that Ren snapped and pulled him back up.</p><p class="p1">"Sorry, I just... I don't think I can do it in the end," he said, full of remorse.</p><p class="p1">Zuko just smiled, and hugged him like he was the most precious thing in the world. "Is it okay if I kiss you?" he asked.</p><p class="p1">"Since when do you have to ask?" Ren replied, and kissed him softly.</p><p class="p1">"I don't know, I just licked your asshole," Zuko chuckled against his lips.</p><p class="p1">"It was clean, I just got out of the bath," Ren chuckled as well. "And for the number of times I kissed you right after eating you out, I don't think I'm allowed to be grossed out when it's the other way around."</p><p class="p1">Zuko pulled back a little and looked at him seriously. "You're allowed to be grossed out by anything at anytime, okay? It's not because we've done something before that it automatically makes it okay all the time. If you're uncomfortable with anything, we stop immediately, okay? And it won't take any of the fun away, you're not ruining anything, we'll just move to something else."</p><p class="p1">Ren's heart filled with gratitude. He hugged Zuko tightly. "... I think I needed to hear that," he admitted after a moment. He was kind of disappointed with himself, not being able to try bottoming at least once.</p><p class="p1">"If I'm being really honest here, I'm glad you don't want to switch in the end," Zuko said, a mischievous smile on his face. "I came here to get railed after all!"</p><p class="p1">Ren chuckled. "You've grown so shameless," he said, caressing his lover's face. "Please never stop!"</p><p class="p1">"I'll babble so much you'll want to silence me," Zuko smirked.</p><p class="p1">Ren knew he was just taunting him, but it still sent a shiver straight to his groin. "If you really do that, I'll go completely mad," he said, and slid his thigh between Zuko's legs.</p><p class="p1">"I'll try my best," Zuko said, and things started getting more heated.</p><p class="p1">"How do you want your railing served?" Ren asked after having transformed Zuko into a panting mess above him, three masterful fingers up his ass.</p><p class="p1">"You on top," Zuko said, and rolled on his back to lie on the bed. Ren immediately sat up and positioned himself between the Fire Lord's gorgeous thighs, eager to pound him to exhaustion. His earlier anxiety was completely gone.</p><p class="p1">"Show me how much you want me," Ren said, knowing that this would make Zuko blush very hard. And indeed, his lover's cheeks took a beautiful shade of crimson red, but he still spread his legs out and pulled on his ass cheeks, putting his hole on display.</p><p class="p1">Ren gulped down, quickly praying Agni internally. "Good boy," he blurted, and the whine Zuko let out gave him the confidence to continue. He oiled himself up and aligned the tip of his cock with the fluttering hole.</p><p class="p1">"I want you so bad," Zuko said, a loud moan rising in his throat as Ren pushed forward, breaching him open. "I missed this so much-ah!"</p><p class="p1">Ren smirked. "You missed what so much? I need you to be more precise," he taunted.</p><p class="p1">"Your <em>cock</em>!" Zuko moaned with Ren's first hip thrust. "I missed your cock so bad! I missed you fucking my brain out so fucking hard!" he said as Ren picked up a rhythm, his voice cracking.</p><p class="p1">Ren squeezed his eyes shut. Oh, he was going to come so fast if Zuko continued talking like this, and that would be <em>terrible</em>. He really had to work on his stamina if he wanted to play these kinds of games.</p><p class="p1">He felt a warm hand cup his face. "Are you okay?" Zuko asked, wondering about the slowing of his hips.</p><p class="p1">"Just... Just give me a moment to breathe," Ren said, voice hoarse. He bent forward and pulled Zuko into a soft and slow kiss, tangling his fingers into his black hair. He rolled his hips once, testing things out.</p><p class="p1">"You're worried you're gonna come too fast?" Zuko asked, spot on. Ren hummed, blushing. "Just pull out every time you feel like you're getting too close," Zuko suggested, not letting things get awkward. Ren was so glad he wasn't laughing at him, or he would have combusted on the spot.</p><p class="p1">He started thrusting in and out again, shallow at first, then making bigger moves. Zuko was clenching around him, so fucking hot and gorgeous, his moans deep and his hair sticking to his forehead, so beautiful he looked like a piece of art.</p><p class="p1">"Ah! I love you!" he yelled when Ren hit his prostate dead on, his eyes rolling back.</p><p class="p1">"What do you love about me?" Ren asked with a low voice, before he bit his neck.</p><p class="p1">"Everything!" Zuko moaned, but he knew Ren wouldn't be satisfied. "I love you I love your lips I love your eyes I love your-ah!"</p><p class="p1">Ren pounded his hole with all his strength, fast and deep, his balls clapping against Zuko's ass loudly. "And right now, what do you love the most?"</p><p class="p1">Zuko moaned his lungs out, sanity completely disintegrated. "Your cock! I love your cock!" This was exactly the railing he had been hoping for!</p><p class="p1">Ren pulled out and bit his nipple, distracting him from the gaping sensation while he took a little break. Less than a minute later, he entered him again, pushing in full force. The slide was smooth and he immediately picked up his previous pace, making Zuko see stars. The loud and wet noises coming from their embrace were disgustingly arousing, feeling up every corner of the room. Ren's thrusts were relentless, not letting Zuko the time to think about anything other than how his hole was getting utterly destroyed. He was crying and drooling and screaming and turning into a beautiful mess.</p><p class="p1">Ren left a trail of kiss marks around each of his nipples, sucking and biting them, flicking them with his tongue, pulling on them with his teeth while he pounded Zuko's ass as hard as he could. Making himself go so close to the edge and then pulling out was mind-blowing. He did that twice more, after pulling both of Zuko's legs over his shoulders, bending him in half. Why hadn't he thought of that before! He felt like he could go at it for hours. But alas, the thought distracted him too much and he felt the telltale sensation of his balls contracting. He tried to pull out before he came, but he just ended up spilling cum all over Zuko's hole and balls.</p><p class="p1">"<em>Shit</em>," he grumbled as he climaxed, and collapsed on Zuko's chest. After a few seconds, he found deep in himself the energy to rise just enough to stroke his lover's cock while pushing four fingers in, sleepily getting Zuko to completion with relentless rubbing of his prostate. It wasn't as satisfying as making him come while fucking him, but Zuko didn't look too displeased. He had turned into a whiny, crying mess, mind blank and sense of reality completely gone, and he came so much, it dripped all over himself.</p><p class="p1">Ren shifted to his side and nestled in the crook of his neck, all hazy and tired. "Sorry," he said, biting his bottom lip.</p><p class="p1">Zuko caught his breath and grumbled. "What are you apologizing for? It was the single best fucking I've had in the past year," he said, faking being annoyed.</p><p class="p1">Ren looked up, confused and anxious. "Did you do it with someone else?"</p><p class="p1">Zuko rolled his eyes, and smiled gently. "Of course not," he said, and kissed the anxiety out of Ren's mind. "It was a joke, it's the only fucking I've had in the past year."</p><p class="p1">"Sorry, I completely missed it," Ren said, settling down again. He was failing and failing again tonight, and he was getting deeply annoyed at himself.</p><p class="p1">Zuko sensed something was off. "Hey," he said, hauling Ren up on his chest, "Don't you dare ruminate all night long about coming too fast. It was amazing!"</p><p class="p1">Ren pouted. "But if I was less of shitty lover I would have stayed focused and I wouldn't have-"</p><p class="p1">"Ren," Zuko said, making him hear his Fire Lord's voice for the first time. "Stop saying bad things about yourself. Where does that even come from? You've never said anything like that before. Why now? It's not like coming before me is something new?"</p><p class="p1">Ren rested his head on his hand, thinking. He wasn't sure why he felt so insecure. They used to laugh about him never lasting very long. He believed Zuko when he said he still liked it anyway. So why was he so upset?</p><p class="p1">"... I just wanted tonight to be special," he said after a while.</p><p class="p1">Zuko's heart melted. "It was. And it felt so good you have no idea," he said, and kissed Ren gently. "Nothing like that jade dildo I've used these past few months."</p><p class="p1">This sparked Ren's interest. "Jade dildo? Where did you get that?"</p><p class="p1">"Found it in the royal treasure somehow. I've no idea where it comes from, but it's been put to good use. It's very similar to your size, it's great," Zuko smirked.</p><p class="p1">"Can't wait to see that," Ren said, breath stuttering a little. "Oh, speaking of seeing each other again," he changed topics before he forgot, “don’t send official letters anymore. My boss will notice than something is weird and will tell the whole city about it.”</p><p class="p1">“Is it so bad? I don’t mind the whole city knowing about us. You could even come to the palace and live with me.”</p><p class="p1">“But I mind. I’m just a lowly craftsperson, and I want to keep my job. It’s exhausting and stressful and sometimes I hate my boss so bad, but I like it very much.”</p><p class="p1">Zuko really didn’t understand. "But you look so tired and skinny! If you were living with me you'd never have to worry about anything, isn't that better? What's so good about your job?"</p><p class="p1">“It’s fulfilling," Ren said. "I get to make stuff and sell it and earn a living from it. I get to talk to people, take their measurements, ask them about what occasion their new garments will be for. I get a glimpse into their lives, and I finally feel like I, myself, have a life. I never lived a normal life before, Zuko. I... I want to exist as my own person, not just as your lover.”</p><p class="p1">Zuko thought about it for a moment. Of course, his heart stung a little. He had hoped than Ren would come and live with him, share his meals everyday and his bed every night, just like they had been doing during his banishment. He realized he had never really thought about Ren’s feelings back then, and he felt a surge of guilt overwhelming his heart.</p><p class="p1">“I’m so sorry I didn’t realize all of this,” he said, and he meant it. “Back then on the ship, I didn’t even think about how crappy your life had become because of me. I was so selfish.”</p><p class="p1">“No. It was my choice. Don’t apologize.”</p><p class="p1">“But you lived inside a dark bedroom for more than a year because of me! It’s horrible!”</p><p class="p1">“I told you, it was my choice. I could have gone outside if I had forced myself to be a little less scared of everything. If I had listened to you when you said that I could trust your uncle.”</p><p class="p1">“Oh, right, you used to be terrified by him,” Zuko said.</p><p class="p1">“I was. I used to have nightmares about him.”</p><p class="p1">“But why?”</p><p class="p1">“My parents got killed by firebenders, Zuko. And the Dragon of the West was one of the most powerful firebenders in the world. Until I met you, I was absolutely convinced all firebenders wanted to kill me.”</p><p class="p1">“Is that the real reason why you used to be scared of me?”</p><p class="p1">Ren inhaled. “... It is.”</p><p class="p1">Zuko reached out and pulled him into a tight hug. Oh, how much he would give to go back in time and protect the young Ren from all the horrible things he had to live through.</p><p class="p1">Ren caressed his hair and kissed his face all over, first his forehead, and then his unscarred eye, his nose and his cheek. Then he kissed his lips, round and soft and beautiful. "I have never, not a single second, regretted jumping on that ship, five years ago. It's the single best decision I've ever made in my life," he said in a whisper.</p><p class="p1">Zuko hugged him, putting Ren's head over his beating heart. "I don't think I could have done anything good without you by my side," he said. "You saved me, Ren. I would have become like my father if you hadn't been there."</p><p class="p1">Ren hummed, caressing Zuko's side, and slowly, gently fell asleep, rising and falling with each of his lover's breaths, warm fingers tangled in his hair. His life finally resembled his dream.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0010"><h2>10. Chapter 10</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>CW: smut once Zuko &amp; Ren are in the bedroom, mild alcohol consumption.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p class="p1">Life went back to the usual the following days, with Zuko keeping his promise to not send any official letter. Ren was fairly confident he would soon find a way to contact him that didn't raise his boss' suspicions. She had been putting Ren through hell since the day he had arrived late to work, and he didn't want her to know anything about his private life.</p><p class="p1">One particular morning when she was in a worse than usual mood, she snapped at him, telling him that he was the most incompetent apprentice she had ever had, and that he would never get to work for himself.</p><p class="p1">Ren sighed, waiting for the storm to pass. Fortunately, his boss instantly shut her mouth when a new client entered the shop, making the wind bell sing. They both greeted the lady. She had ebony hair styled into a large bun, gorgeous sun-kissed skin and a mole under her right eye.</p><p class="p1">"Oh, isn't this my prettiest fan?" she gasped, looking at Ren, a smile so bright it could replace the sun.</p><p class="p1">Ren thought she looked familiar, but couldn't recall where he had seen her before.</p><p class="p1">She took his hand between both of hers. "Come on, of course I recognize you, with your glowing skin, you stick out in the crowd! Especially in the dark!"</p><p class="p1">Ren looked down, gazing at the thin tan fingers that were holding his hand as if it was a delicate piece of jewelry. He could recognize the shape of those fingers between a thousand.</p><p class="p1">"... Lady Kaguya!" he exclaimed breathlessly.</p><p class="p1">"That's my name!" she sang, beaming. Ren blushed really hard, blinking. Her... prettiest fan? Lady Kaguya's? That was a title he definitely didn't deserve.</p><p class="p1">"My lady, what brings you here?" Ren's boss asked, tone suave and tooth-rottingly sweet.</p><p class="p1">Kaguya smiled to her and then talked to Ren, not letting go of his fingers. "I want something that makes me look pretty. It's for a special occasion, you see," she winked, mischievous.</p><p class="p1">"Lady Kaguya is always pretty," Ren blurted, blushing from ear to ear. But then he remembered she thought he was a girl. This was an okay thing to say between girls, right? It wasn't flirting, was it?</p><p class="p1">Kaguya pouted. "Have you seen how dark my skin is? I'm lucky I can hide it with paint when I go on stage, too bad it's weird to do that during the day."</p><p class="p1">Ren gulped down. "Lady Kaguya. You're the most beautiful woman my eyes have ever had the chance to lie upon. Don't say such things."</p><p class="p1">Behind her, Ren could see his boss biting her lips. What was that idiot saying! You don't talk like that to a client!</p><p class="p1">But Kaguya's eyes sparkled, and she laughed. "Oh you! You know your way to my heart! But I'm sorry to tell you I already have a date, and I need a new dress specifically for that. Will you make one for me?"</p><p class="p1">Ren's boss interfered. "Lady Kaguya, we can arrange a meeting to decide on a design together this week—"</p><p class="p1">"Oh, you're busy?" Kaguya asked Ren.</p><p class="p1">"I-I meant with me," Ren's boss stumbled.</p><p class="p1">"But I want <em>your</em> design!" Kaguya told Ren, holding his hand against her chest.</p><p class="p1">He blinked several times, eyebrows high on his forehead, and stuttered "O-Okay" before he could think of anything else. His boss rolled her eyes and fanned herself with her hand, utterly shocked. But how could she refuse a client? Especially a renown one? Listening to Kaguya's wishes was too good for business.</p><p class="p1">The two of them sat together and talked about the design for a while, Ren suggesting things as they went, Kaguya beaming and laughing and being her incredibly blinding self. After she left, Ren immediately started the embroidering, until his eyes couldn't work in the low light anymore. It was his first time making an entire outfit for someone else, and it had to be absolutely perfect.</p><p class="p1">The next day, an old friend entered Ren's shop.</p><p class="p1">"Suki!" he exclaimed, dropping the loop he had in his hands.</p><p class="p1">"Long time no see!" she smiled from ear to ear. "I'm glad I could find you. I'm just passing by," she said as she slipped a paper discreetly into his sleeve. Ren got the hint. They talked a little about the weather, nothing deeper. "We should hang out sometime!"</p><p class="p1">"Yeah, definitely!" Ren said, and then Suki was out before his boss noticed she was even there.</p><p class="p1">The note was, as he expected, a rendezvous with the Fire Lord on that very night.</p><p class="p1">Ren went to the forest as soon as his work hours were done, going back to the pavilion he had reunited with Zuko in. It was a lovely summer night, and behind him, he could hear the sound of fireworks blowing over the city. A year before, the Fire Nation used to be a martial state run by a dictator, all firebenders conscripted to the army, and the common people struggled to keep the economy afloat. Now, there were artists, craftspersons and hopeful young people trying to build a future where the happiness of everyone could be reached.</p><p class="p1">Ren opened the door and entered the pavilion, already tugging on his belt, ready to strip and get ravished by his favorite Fire Lord.</p><p class="p1">He froze when he noticed who was there, sitting in front of Zuko.</p><p class="p1">Suki was pouring the Fire Lord a drink, and the table was full of food, all different shades of red.</p><p class="p1">Ren immediately turned away and tied his belt back, blushing so hard steam came out of his ears.</p><p class="p1">Zuko laughed. "I told you, Suki, he looks cute but he’s a beast in disguise!”</p><p class="p1">Ren got offended, jaw dropping. “What do you mean, 'you told her'?" he said, shoving Zuko a little, sitting next to him.</p><p class="p1">Suki laughed as well, and gave a small cup of some sort of golden liquid to Ren. "I'll pretend I saw nothing," she giggled.</p><p class="p1">Ren downed the cup, and instantly regretted it. "Oh fuck, what is that?!" he blurted, coughing.</p><p class="p1">"Oh no!" she gasped. "It's alcohol! I'm sorry I should have told you!"</p><p class="p1">"You drink now?" he asked both of them, surprised.</p><p class="p1">"I-I thought, since we hadn't seen each other in such a long time, it would be fun to have a little something," Suki said, blushing.</p><p class="p1">"Oh, okay," Ren said, feeling the liquor rising in his chest. "Tell me no if I ask for more though, I don't want to get in trouble tomorrow."</p><p class="p1">"As responsible as always, I see," Suki chuckled. "I've only brought one bottle anyway."</p><p class="p1">"Have something to eat," Zuko said, filling a plate for Ren with some of the spiciest food on the table.</p><p class="p1">Ren was starting to get dizzy already, and pouted. "Don't let me be the only one who's drunk," he said, slurring a little. Suki instantly regretted having brought something that strong.</p><p class="p1">Zuko pushed a shrimp in his mouth. "Eat that and I'll drink for you," he promised, and Ren finally picked up the plate. Suki helped herself, picking the less spicy dishes.</p><p class="p1">"Agni, it's delicious!" Ren exclaimed, mouth full of fish. "Do you eat everyday like this?"</p><p class="p1">Zuko chuckled, nodding. "If you ever change your mind about living with me, that's what's waiting for you," he taunted.</p><p class="p1">"Don't say thaaat," Ren slurred, shoving him again. "I just got my first personal order, don't tempt me."</p><p class="p1">Zuko raised his eyebrow. "Did you? Congrats!" he said, squeezing Ren's thigh. "That's something to celebrate", he winked, and took a sip of liquor, leaving a few drops on his lips.</p><p class="p1">Ren let the shrimp he was holding fall down in his plate, his throat running dry. He licked his lips and got closer, but before he could take what he wanted, Suki cleared her throat and chuckled.</p><p class="p1">Zuko laughed. "You really are a beast!" he said, leaving a small peck on Ren's forehead.</p><p class="p1">Ren pouted cutely, now definitely starting to feel drunk. "I’m not a beast! I like cock, that’s it!” he blurted, giving away way too much information all of a sudden. Zuko blushed from ear to ear and covered his mouth.</p><p class="p1">Suki bursted out, laughing to tears. "I can't believe you're such a lightweight!" she said, holding her stomach. The night was going to be fun, for sure!</p><p class="p1">An hour later, all the dishes were empty and she leaned over the table, head resting on her head, looking at the two lovebirds bickering over who could eat the spiciest food. She sighed and blurted, “Ah, I wish I liked cock too,” feeling quite dizzy as well.</p><p class="p1">This got Zuko and Ren blinking.</p><p class="p1">“You don’t?” Zuko asked.</p><p class="p1">Suki shook her head. “That’s why I had to end things with Sokka... I just couldn’t. It’s not his fault.”</p><p class="p1">Ren put his hand over Suki’s, frowning cutely. “It’s okay if you don’t like it. It’s not weird, it's like spicy food, it’s just not for you. You’ll find something else you like.”</p><p class="p1">Suki gulped down. “I... I think I know what I like...” she said, glancing at both of her friends. “... it’s just— it’s so hard to say out loud.”</p><p class="p1">“You don’t have to,” Zuko said.</p><p class="p1">“But I want to!" she exclaimed. "Because if I don’t say it it’ll stay like a dark secret or some shit like that, and I’m gonna stay single my whole life if I can’t even admit it to myself!”</p><p class="p1">Ren brushed his thumb over her hand, encouraging her with a smile on his lips. He was waiting for her to feel ready, not waiting for her secret to be uncovered, and she felt that difference. And it gave her a rush of courage.</p><p class="p1">She inhaled, and blurted “I-I think I like girls!” before her exhale was over.</p><p class="p1">Ren and Zuko grinned.</p><p class="p1">"Welcome to the gay club," Zuko said, giggling because of the alcohol.</p><p class="p1">"Can I be honest for a second?" Ren asked, smirking. "When I saw you I instantaneously thought you were a lesbian."</p><p class="p1">Suki frowned, amused. "Did you? Why? Did something give it away?"</p><p class="p1">"I don't know, you just had <em>that</em> vibe, you know."</p><p class="p1">"Do you have someone on your mind?" Zuko asked, taking another sip. He was holding his liquor suspiciously well.</p><p class="p1">Suki blushed from ear to ear. "A-Actually, I have a date coming up next week!"</p><p class="p1">"Agni, really?" Ren raised his voice, excited. "That's so cool! How does she look? Is she cute? How did you two meet?"</p><p class="p1">"By Kyoshi, you have no idea how cute she is! She's a literal goddess!" Suki sparked up, and proceeded to tell them everything about her crush.</p><p class="p1">A few hours later, Ren almost fell asleep on Zuko's lap, and they all decided that it was time to call it a night. Suki set up a futon for herself in the room at the back, while Zuko and Ren stayed in the other room.</p><p class="p1">Zuko carried his lover princess-style and threw him playfully on the bed. Ren whined a little, but before he could complain too much, Zuko had already stripped him completely.</p><p class="p1">An idea popped in Ren's mind. "Hey, Zukooo, remember that game we played in Ba Sing Se? The Truth or Dare?"</p><p class="p1">"That's definitely not something you wanna play drunk," Zuko snorted, untying his hair.</p><p class="p1">"It's just me and you, though," Ren pouted, jumping back up on the bed. "Come on, let's do it! Truth or dare?"</p><p class="p1">Zuko rolled his eyes and smiled. "Dare."</p><p class="p1">"I dare you to do a strip-tease for me!" Ren grinned.</p><p class="p1">Zuko choked, appalled. "Do a <em>what</em>?!"</p><p class="p1">"A strip-tease! You know, dancing around while stripping!"</p><p class="p1">Zuko blushed from ear to ear. "Agni, I'm not doing that!"</p><p class="p1">Ren pouted very hard. "But that's against the rules! You can't say no!"</p><p class="p1">Zuko rolled his eyes even harder and inhaled sharply. "... Fine! It's my first and last dare, you've been warned!" He couldn't believe what he was about to do. "The shit I would do for you," he snorted, and soon Ren was crying of laughter, looking at Zuko's vague swaying of the hips, dancing like a grandpa while taking his clothes off.</p><p class="p1">"Oh Agni, this is the best day of my life!" Ren giggled, holding his stomach which ached a little.</p><p class="p1">Zuko grumbled and squished his cheeks, making him look like a fish, kissing his pouty mouth with a smile. "Your turn," he said, climbing on the bed.</p><p class="p1">"Frankly I'm too lazy to get up, so... truth," Ren said.</p><p class="p1">Zuko thought back to their conversation with Suki. "Have you ever found a girl sexy before?" he asked.</p><p class="p1">"Nah, never. Some of them are pretty, but that's it. We've talked about it already, haven't we?" Ren said, nonchalantly running his fingers through Zuko's hair. "Your turn! Truth or dare?"</p><p class="p1">"Truth."</p><p class="p1">"Have you ever found <em>anyone else</em> sexy before?"</p><p class="p1">Zuko looked away, blushing. Normally, he would definitely not answer this, but the liquor encouraged him to be more daring. "... I did," he admitted between his teeth.</p><p class="p1">Ren beamed. "Ooooh, who is it? I promise I won't get jealous!"</p><p class="p1">"I don't believe you," Zuko pouted.</p><p class="p1">"Okay so it's someone I know, then," Ren smirked. "I bet it's Sok—Mmph!" Zuko had put a hand over his mouth. "Mmmphmmph!"</p><p class="p1">"Don't say it!" The Fire Lord was about to burst in shame.</p><p class="p1">Ren licked his palm, making him pull off his hand like he had been burnt.</p><p class="p1">"I can't be mad at you when he looks that much like a snack!" Ren grinned.</p><p class="p1">Zuko gulped down. So Ren had been thirsting over him as well? "Your turn," he said with a husky voice.</p><p class="p1">As he expected, Ren replied with 'truth'.</p><p class="p1">Zuko inhaled. "Have you thought about... his, uh..." <em>Oh come on, Zuko! Why are you shy? The bomb has already been dropped!</em> "... Have you thought about his dick before?"</p><p class="p1">Ren looked at Zuko up and down slowly, his gaze landing on the Fire Lord's mouth. "... I have," he said with a low voice, sliding a finger over his lover's lips. "It looks yummy, doesn't it?" he said, raising an eyebrow. Zuko parted his lips, feeling like he was seconds away from being swallowed by a beast. "I wonder how it tastes," Ren whispered to his ear, and pushed two fingers in his mouth. "I wonder how it looks when it's hard," he said as he wrapped a hand around Zuko's cock. "Maybe it leans to the side," he said, stroking his lover slowly. "I wonder how big it is," he said as he added another finger in Zuko's mouth.</p><p class="p1">Zuko rolled his eyes and thrusted his hips back and forth, loosing himself in Ren's words. There was something incredibly enticing in just letting himself get carried away by these thoughts, the thrill of thinking about another man's cock in his mouth while Ren was taking care of him, it was making Zuko loose all control. He pushed on Ren's shoulder, leading him down until he was facing his groin.</p><p class="p1">"Anything for you, my Lord," Ren slurred before he dived down. He swallowed Zuko's cock in one swift motion, making the tip poke the back his throat. Zuko moaned around his fingers and sucked harder. Ren hollowed his cheeks, twisting his tongue around the shaft. He hummed, vibrating against the tip, the salty taste wetting his tongue.</p><p class="p1">But all of a sudden, Zuko yanked both his fingers and his head off, yelling "It hurts!" before jumping off the bed and running to the bathroom.</p><p class="p1">Ren blinked, sitting up on the mattress, naked. What the hell had just happened?</p><p class="p1">He heard Zuko yell from the bathroom, water running, "I'm never letting you eat anything spicy ever again!"</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Sokka/Zuko/Ren is getting closer ;)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0011"><h2>11. Chapter 11</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p class="p1">The next day, Ren woke up feeling groggier than usual, but fortunately not hungover. He had only had one drink after all. Zuko, on the other hand, had drank half the bottle and was plagued with a raging headache. He rolled himself in bed like a dumpling and fell back asleep as soon as Ren went to work.</p><p class="p1">Lady Kaguya was at the shop right as Ren opened it, and even helped him put the flag up above the entrance, even though she was as small as him and struggled all the same. She was so damn adorable! Ren showed her what he had done the day before, and she was very surprised by how fast he worked. She told him she had new ideas and wanted to ask his opinion, and they went to the back of the shop to take new measurements and do some draping.</p><p class="p1">Ren had to concentrate really hard on not looking at her too much, but her beauty was so hypnotizing it was proving difficult. They would very often cross gazes, and look away, blushing a little.</p><p class="p1">After a few moments, Kaguya broke the awkward silence, saying "I'm so sorry I keep staring at you like that!"</p><p class="p1">Ren gasped. "Oh no! <em>I'm</em> so sorry I keep staring at <em>you</em>!"</p><p class="p1">They both smiled, feeling the tension alleviate.</p><p class="p1">"You'll be forgiven if I can ask you one indiscreet question!" Kaguya said, winking.</p><p class="p1">"Shouldn't I have one question as well?" Ren chuckled.</p><p class="p1">Kaguya grinned playfully, "Sure! Go ahead! But just one!"</p><p class="p1">Ren tilted his head, thinking for a few moments. "I know! Where did you meet your date?" he asked.</p><p class="p1">Kaguya beamed. "In a make-up store near the market! I was buying rouge and we bumped into each other!"</p><p class="p1">Ren clutched his heart. "That's so cute! It sounds straight out of a romance book!" he said, fawning. Kaguya giggled like a lovestruck teenager.</p><p class="p1">"My turn now," she said, gaze getting mischievous. "Why do you cover your head? Do you not have hair?"</p><p class="p1">Ren gulped down, blushing. "No, I do have hair, I just- I just don't know how to style it..." he admitted, posture slumping down as he talked. It was such a lame excuse, but there was no other truth.</p><p class="p1">"I can teach you if you want," Kaguya said gently.</p><p class="p1">Ren sparked up. "Really?"</p><p class="p1">Kaguya nodded, smiling. "Yeah! Show it to me, show it to me! Is it long? Is it curly or straight?"</p><p class="p1">Ren took off his scarf, unwrapping it carefully. Kaguya gasped, looking at his hair, a little disheveled but as soft and light as ever.</p><p class="p1">"It's GORGEOUS!" she exclaimed, stars in her eyes. "I've never seen anyone with hair that beautiful before!" Ren blushed from ear to ear, letting Kaguya run her fingers in his locks. His hair reached down to his shoulders, and he had no bangs anymore. "If you go with your hair out like this, the whole city will fall in love with you," she said, chuckling. "What style do you like?"</p><p class="p1">"Y-your hairstyle," Ren stumbled.</p><p class="p1">Kaguya smiled wider. "Aww thank you! But I have a secret to confess," she said, lowering her voice. "I cheat a little!" she explained as she took off one of her hairpins and revealed some sort of stuffing under her hair.</p><p class="p1">Ren raised his eyebrows high. "What's that?"</p><p class="p1">"It's a hairpiece! It's a ball of horsehair, and that's what gives all the volume to my hair," Kaguya said. "You'll need to find something like that if you want to achieve the same style. I have one for the top, one for the back, two for the sides and a big one for the bun. It's all fake!"</p><p class="p1">"Oh, I see," Ren nodded, taking mental notes. "But wouldn't my hair be too short anyway?"</p><p class="p1">"Mmh, you could do a smaller bun, or maybe add more pins. I'm sure we can figure something out! When are you free? We could practice together!"</p><p class="p1">Ren opened his eyes wide. "Ah, uh, I- Okay," he eloquently said, "Sunday, next week?"</p><p class="p1">Kaguya grinned, "Sunday, next week it is, then! I'll tell you everything about my date!"</p><p class="p1">She went on her way after checking the design of her dress one last time, happily waving goodbye to Ren. Did he just... make a friend? He felt all warm and fuzzy inside.</p><p class="p1">As he went to the back of the shop, he bumped into one of the other apprentices. She gasped, looking at his hair, and pulled him by the hand to show the two other girls what he looked like. They all praised him, and he felt his face heat up so much he could probably cook an egg on it. Was he going to get this kind of reaction every time? He felt very embarrassed and yet, somehow, a little proud too.</p><p class="p1">He stopped wearing his headscarf completely after that day, tying his hair in the best braid he could do, just so that his boss wouldn't say anything. She was very suspicious of his sudden appearance change, but fortunately kept her poisonous words to herself. He made good progress on the dress, and delivered it one day in advance, very proud of himself. The dress was a gorgeous shade of pale green, with small flower petals embroidered down the sleeves. It was perfect for a date in the park and he really hoped Kaguya would have fun.</p><p class="p1">On the following Saturday night, he bumped into Suki on his way to the kabuki theater.</p><p class="p1">"Ah! I was looking for you!" she said, catching his hand. She was wearing her normal garments, much more discreet than her usual facepaint and armor. She pulled him into an alleyway and whispered, "Zuko wanted me to show you a passage to his bedroom!"</p><p class="p1">Ren followed her to the palace, going around the west wall. He was honestly quite concerned about the Fire Lord's security. If he could enter the palace that easily, then anybody else could, right?</p><p class="p1">"You and Aang are the only people in the world who'll ever be able to use that entrance!" Suki chuckled as she pointed to a small window in the palace's wall, ten meters above the ground.</p><p class="p1">There was absolutely no way to climb that without airbending, and the overhanging roof made it impossible to reach from the top using a rope. It was truly a blessing made just for Ren.</p><p class="p1">"And if you hear a frogsparrow whistle, reply with two. It's the Kyoshi Warriors' signal, they won't attack you. Keep that info safe!" she winked, and then she was gone.</p><p class="p1"><em>Well, I hope Kaguya won't be too disappointed if I skip her show this week</em>, Ren thought, and decided that Zuko would take priority. He glanced around, making sure that nobody had seen him. The problem with white hair was that it glowed super bright in the moonlight, and he could definitely get into big problems if he wasn't careful. He tied his handkerchief around his head as best as he could and ran, climbing in three big jumps and immediately disappearing through the small window. It was barely big enough for him to fit. It opened on a small tunnel, probably made for ventilation, and led directly to Zuko's bedroom, opening above his bed with a sliding door.</p><p class="p1">Before jumping down, Ren took the time to observe. He wasn't sure if Zuko was expecting him or not. The Fire Lord was naked, lying on his back with his legs folded up, pleasuring himself with the previously mentioned jade dildo, a hand over his mouth, muffling his moans. Ren tried to think of a way to not make his heart jump out of his ribcage in fear as he landed. He started singing with a bird's voice gently, making sure that only Zuko could hear him. Foxdoves were known as the lovers' birds, living their whole life as a couple, and there was no sweeter way to confess to someone, in Ren's humble opinion. It took a few moments for Zuko to notice the soft melody, but when he did, his face lit up and he smiled at the ventilation trap, opening his arms.</p><p class="p1">Ren jumped down, landing between his legs into a hug, as delicate as a feather.</p><p class="p1">"Hi," he said, voice low and seductive, hands cupping the Fire Lord's face.</p><p class="p1">"Hi," Zuko replied, wrapping his legs around his hips.</p><p class="p1">Ren didn't even had the time to strip before Zuko was pushing his cock inside his ass.</p><p class="p1">They fucked four times in a row that night, and Zuko made Ren promise to come at least three times a week before he let him go, a few hours before sunrise.</p><p class="p1">Ren was so glad he didn't have to work the next day. He slept in, waking up at noon, shaken up by one of his co-apprentices who told him there was someone downstairs waiting for him.</p><p class="p1">
  <em>Oh shit!</em>
</p><p class="p1">Kaguya was there, as bright as the sun, and laughed when she saw his bedhead.</p><p class="p1">"Sorry, had a rough night," he mumbled, and picked his stuff up. She brought him to her appartment, just in front of the theater.</p><p class="p1">They immediately started on the hair tutorial, Kaguya showing it on herself and letting Ren try on his head himself. She had found white horsehair pieces, and generously gifted them to him. He went for a smaller bun, afraid that he would look stupid with anything bigger. He looked so different, so ladylike! Kaguya praised him profusely, saying that he was so gorgeous the entire nation would fall to his feet. Ren rolled his eyes and laughed. Kaguya let him pick one of her hairpins, lending it to him until he could find one for himself. She slid it at the top of his head, tiny petals trickling on his forehead. As she was about to go on a praise rampage, all of a sudden she heard his stomach gurgle loudly.</p><p class="p1">"Agni! Have you eaten anything today? I think I have some pastries left from breakfast!" she said, leaving immediately to go make some tea. She soon came back with a tray full of food.</p><p class="p1">Ren gobbled a croissant in the blink of an eye, tears rising. "It's so good!" he exclaimed, cheeks full.</p><p class="p1">"You don't eat very well, do you?" Kaguya asked, more as an observation than anything.</p><p class="p1">Ren blushed. "I don't have a lot of money," he admitted. The truth was, except for his childhood, he had never been poorer than the past year. All his money went into the rent and his own sewing supplies.</p><p class="p1">"I'll recommend you to my friends so you can get more orders!" Kaguya said gently, squeezing his hand. "And I'll definitely tip you more next time!"</p><p class="p1">Ren frowned. "You really don't have to!"</p><p class="p1">"But I want to," she smiled. "The dress was perfect!"</p><p class="p1">Ren blushed. "Did the date go well?"</p><p class="p1">"It was incredible, you have no idea! We picnicked under an apple tree and talked for hours and I sang <em>her</em> a song and—" Kaguya caught her mouth with her hand, fustigating herself for blurting out that her date was a girl so easily.</p><p class="p1">Ren took her hand and gently rubbed his thumb over it. "It's okay, I'm—" <em>No!</em> He couldn't say he was also gay, Kaguya thought he was a girl!</p><p class="p1">Kaguya chuckled. "No secret between friends? Isn't that better?" she said, talking about herself.</p><p class="p1">Ren inhaled sharply, and replied "No secret between friends," before he proceeded to tell her about his real gender as well as his love for boys.</p><p class="p1">Her eyes sparkled gently, and she listened to him, asking questions about his lover and how they met and what they liked to do together. Ren told her as much as he could without mentioning that it was the Fire Lord.</p><p class="p1">They spent the whole afternoon together, and as Ren looked at the mirror before taking his hairstyle off at night, he thought, <em>Maybe I found the place where I belong, after all.</em></p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0012"><h2>12. Chapter 12</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>CW: smut once they go to bed</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p class="p1">More than a year passed before Sokka could come to the Fire Nation. His father was rather reluctant to the idea, saying that the future chief of the Southern Water Tribe should stay in his homeland to learn and watch after everybody. Sokka highly suspected that it was because he was going to miss him, and honestly? Sokka agreed. He had spent way too much of his life apart from his dad. But he felt so miserable in the Pole, it was starting to get depressing. Hakoda saw his son wilt away and finally complied to send him to the Fire Nation for a year.</p><p class="p1">He arrived at the end of summer, when most of the scorching heat was over and the only thing people had to worry about was the one yearly typhoon or two. And luckily for Sokka, he arrived just before one was coming, with the wind strong and the clouds low and grey, hiding the late afternoon sky.</p><p class="p1">As he jumped out of the boat, he saw a small figure waving happily in the crowd, long white hair floating in the wind, like rays of sunshine.</p><p class="p1">"Ren!" he shouted, and threw himself into his friend's arms.</p><p class="p1">"Sokka!" Ren chuckled, pushed back a couple steps by the heavy young man.</p><p class="p1">Sokka gave him a good ruffle. "I'm so happy to see you! How have you been?"</p><p class="p1">"Great!" Ren said with a wide smile. "I've come to steal you away from your political duties!"</p><p class="p1">"Uh?" Sokka blurted, immediately disappearing through the crowd, pulled by the hand. "Where are we going?"</p><p class="p1">"Somewhere we can catch up!" is all Ren said before he started running. Sokka yelped, and followed him as best as he could. Damn, he was in the greatest physical shape he had ever been, and yet Ren was still hard to follow! And he was running with a dress on!</p><p class="p1">"Ah... Why did we run? Ah... Aah... Why couldn't we walk instead?" Sokka complained when they stopped, past the outskirt of the city.</p><p class="p1">Ren chuckled. "That's the price to pay for ruining my hairdo!" he lied playfully, and then led the Water Tribe man inside the forest. There was no path, no logical way to their steps and yet, somehow, they soon arrived at a small pavilion, not unlike the one they had stayed at before, in Ember Island.</p><p class="p1">Sokka raised his eyebrows. "Where are we?" he asked, but Ren kept silent, a mischievous smile on his face. He entered the building, removing his sandals. Sokka noticed that they were basically just very thick blocks of wood with a small toe strap and wondered how in the spirit world did Ren run in these.</p><p class="p1">He looked at his friend's entire outfit from head to toe. "I think it's the first time I see you wearing something other than black or red!" he said, admiring the soft pink kimono with red and white embroideries.</p><p class="p1">Ren smiled, reaching a hand toward him to help him climb the high step. "It's my friend's dress. She lent it to me for the special occasion!"</p><p class="p1">Sokka blinked. "... What special occasion?"</p><p class="p1">Ren blushed from ear to ear, looking away. "Uhm, your coming? Anyway, let's get inside!"</p><p class="p1">Behind the doors, the Fire Lord was alone, waiting for them in front of a large meal, putting mushrooms inside a pot in the middle of the table. This had been a reoccurring thing during the past year, Zuko somehow bringing a ton of food to the pavilion and inviting his friends for breakfast, lunch and dinner on their free days. Ren highly suspected that he just had picked up cooking as a hobby and didn't want to admit it.</p><p class="p1">"Hi buddy!" Zuko said, a wide smile on his face.</p><p class="p1">Sokka suddenly teared up. "Oh spirits, I'm starving!" he half-sobbed, trying to hide his emotion behind a grin.</p><p class="p1">Zuko got up and hugged him, laughing. "Welcome to our home," he said gently, Ren joining in and inserting himself between the two tall men in a giggle.</p><p class="p1">They didn't ask Sokka if he had missed them, because why else would he tear up? They could easily guess that the past two years had been rough for him. He let himself cry to his heart's contempt, Ren holding his hands, Zuko rubbing his back.</p><p class="p1">"Sorry, ahah, I'm okay, sorry," he kept saying, crying his eyes out. After some time he inhaled deeply and straightened his back, feeling much better. "Yeah, ahah, I guess I missed you guys!"</p><p class="p1">Ren pulled him down to sit at the table, while Zuko went to sit in front of them and made a bigger fire under the two-sided pot in the middle of the table.</p><p class="p1">"Have you had hotpot before?" Ren asked.</p><p class="p1">"It's the thing where you dump stuff in the pot as you eat, right?"</p><p class="p1">Zuko winced. "You don't <em>dump</em> anything in, you carefully pick the ingredients according to their cooking time and then you eat immediately before they get cold or else the strength of the flavor drops down by twenty percent every minu—"</p><p class="p1">"Don't start him on food," Ren giggled. "You just have to eat what's in the lighter side whenever it's cooked, okay?" he explained as he put several types of vegetables in each side of the pot.</p><p class="p1">"Oh? Why not both sides?" Sokka asked.</p><p class="p1">Ren and Zuko both retained a smile. "Oh, try if you want," Ren said softly as he gave Zuko a piece of steaming hot mushroom from the darker side of the pot.</p><p class="p1">Zuko immediately gobbled it, paying no mind to the heat. He was a firebender after all. "Be more patient, it's not cooked enough," he said, frowning.</p><p class="p1">"Agni, I'm so hungry," Ren said, holding his stomach.</p><p class="p1">"Did you have to wait a long time for me?" Sokka asked.</p><p class="p1">Ren grinned. "Yeah, two years! Can you believe it?" he joked, and of course, tears instantly rose again in Sokka's eyes. These were good tears, tears that he wished he had cried sooner, tears that washed away all his piled up loneliness.</p><p class="p1">"Oh spirits! I can't believe how sappy I am today!" he chuckled, rubbing his wet cheeks with a tissue Ren gave him.</p><p class="p1">"It's okay buddy, cry as much as you—" Zuko said gently, but got interrupted by a loud noice coming from outside. They all got up and went to check where it came from.</p><p class="p1">A large branch had been smashed against the outside wall of the pavilion by the wind, now much stronger than before.</p><p class="p1">"I'll put the typhoon shield up," Ren said, and tucked his long sleeves in his thick belt to keep them away.</p><p class="p1">"Do you need help?" Sokka asked, but Ren just shook his head and gestured for him to get back inside.</p><p class="p1">Zuko and him sat back at the table, watching Ren take out the typhoon shield that looked like a big foldable dividing screen made of hard wood. He started sliding it slowly around the house, blocking the windows one by one. Sokka thought it was a really interesting piece of technology, a simple solution to a local problem. He couldn't wait to learn more about the Fire Nation's architecture. Building snow houses for two years had made him very interested in that topic.</p><p class="p1">"I guess we're stuck here till the typhoon's over," Zuko sighed. "It usually lasts a day or two," he added, note sure of if his friend had ever been through one.</p><p class="p1">"Won't they worry about you, up there in the palace?" Sokka asked.</p><p class="p1">Zuko smiled, looking through the window. "No, it should be okay. I told them I'm in the safest hands possible, and they know they can trust me on that. Suki knows I'm with you and Ren."</p><p class="p1">Sokka followed his gaze, leading to Ren who was almost done with the typhoon shield. He was moving as if he was part of the storm, like a pink flower petal gently blowing in the breeze, his hair barely getting ruffled.</p><p class="p1">"Is it cooked yet?" he asked as he stepped inside and pulled the shield completely closed behind him, his stomach rumbling.</p><p class="p1">"Yup!" Zuko said, holding a plate full of food for him.</p><p class="p1">Ren took it and kissed his lover on the cheek before sitting once again next to Sokka.</p><p class="p1">"So! What's up in the Fire Nation these days?" Sokka asked, and let Zuko and Ren tell him everything he had missed during the past year. He swallowed the wrong way when Ren told him Suki now had a girlfriend.</p><p class="p1">"I won! I told you he wouldn't believe it!" Zuko told Ren, laughing.</p><p class="p1">"Stop betting on my reactions, thank you very much!" Sokka managed to articulate after he had finally stopped coughing his lungs out.</p><p class="p1">Ren grumbled and took a piece of meat out of the darker side of the pot. Sokka followed it with his eyes, drool filling his mouth. Ren noticed. "You want that one?" he asked, holding the piece with his chopsticks.</p><p class="p1">Sokka's eyes sparkled. "You guys have no idea of the privilege you have, eating that much meat all the time!" he said, holding out his plate so that his friend could put the juicy looking meat in it.</p><p class="p1">Zuko definitely noticed the very slight wince on Ren's face, but he didn't say anything. Of course Ren wasn't eating meat everyday, far from it, even with Zuko constantly offering him to pay for it. Money was still a frequent point of contention between them.</p><p class="p1">Sokka put the piece of meat in his mouth and smiled happily, feeling the warm fat melting on his tongue, until the spices kicked in. His whole face got very red, his nose running like tap water and his eyes stinging and crying even more than before. He wanted to yell but couldn't, his throat hurting far too much, entire body covered in sweat.</p><p class="p1">Ren put a hand over his mouth, hiding a smile. "I'm so sorry," he apologized before it got even worse. Zuko was fighting so hard not to laugh, eyes sparkling with mischief. Sokka reached for the closest glass of water, but Ren stopped him and poured him some milk instead, which his friend downed in less than a second.</p><p class="p1">"What the FUCK is that?!" he finally managed to say, voice coarse and angry.</p><p class="p1">His two friends couldn't hold it anymore and bursted out laughing. Sokka shoved Ren by the shoulder and pouted, pouring himself another glass of milk. He was glad he only had taken one bite, or he would probably have died on the spot. Why would you put that in your mouth?!</p><p class="p1">And yet, he couldn't be angry. He just had missed them too much to get annoyed at anything for now.</p><p class="p1">"Here, here, I swear this one isn't poison," Ren said as he put another piece of meat into his plate.</p><p class="p1">"I'm never trusting you ever again," Sokka said, sticking out his burning tongue. He still gobbled the piece of meat, and hummed at the sweet taste, definitely a little compromised by the burn but still absolutely delicious.</p><p class="p1">There was nowhere in the world he wanted to be more than with his two best friends, even though they seemed quite adamant on making him suffer on purpose. Oh well, he wouldn't trade it with anyone anyway.</p><p class="p1">They spent hours eating dinner, catching up on the very minimal amount of news coming from the South Pole and the few things they had heard about Aang and their friends, talking about what they wanted to do now that Sokka was here, and many more things. They would definitely never be short of topics to talk about!</p><p class="p1">Zuko yawned at some point, suggesting that it was probably time for bed. They'd have at least the whole morning together the next day anyway, as the violent wind from the typhoon had only gotten stronger. They cleaned up and laid down a bed for Sokka, making him comfy on the rice mats that covered the living room. After brushing their teeth together very thoroughly, Ren and Zuko went to the adjacent bedroom, sliding the door shut.</p><p class="p1">Sokka... was pretty sure they were doing some dirty stuff. He had seen Ren's eyes, and nobody could mistake the look he had given Zuko all evening. He wondered why this time he couldn't hear them, contrary to a year before at Iroh's house in Ba Sing Se. The doors looked fairly thin, only made of paper, so how could they block the sound so well? Or were they that silent? Even when he was alone—okay, he had always been doing it alone, right—Sokka still couldn't help himself from at least breathing heavily. Curiosity overwhelmed him, and he went through several mental hoops to justify sliding the door open juuust a little bit, just to check if they were asleep or not.</p><p class="p1"><em>Oh</em>.</p><p class="p1">Yeah, they were definitely not asleep.</p><p class="p1">They were both on the bed, Zuko lying on his back, legs spread out, Ren on his knees, bent over his crotch, bobbing his head up and down, giving the most thorough blowjob he could to the Fire Lord.</p><p class="p1">Sokka only remembered to blink when he felt his eyes starting to sting.</p><p class="p1"><em>Why would you put THAT in your mouth!</em> he screamed internally for the second time this evening.</p><p class="p1">A few moments later, he noticed Ren’s leaking shaft, left untouched, and realized that Ren was actually enjoying himself with his mouth full of Zuko’s dick.</p><p class="p1">Zuko’s hips soon started to twitch uncontrollably, pushing inside Ren’s throat, and although it sounded like Ren was choking a little, he didn’t pull back. Zuko came in a loud moan in Ren’s mouth, and Ren gulped around his cock, throat bobbing back and forth several times, hollowing his cheeks.</p><p class="p1">Did he... swallow... Zuko’s...?</p><p class="p1">“You taste so good,” Sokka heard Ren say with a hoarse voice as Zuko cupped his cheek, making him look up. There was a string of cum connecting Zuko's cock to Ren's lips. "Can I get that for breakfast, lunch and dinner?"</p><p class="p1">Zuko shivered, still high from his orgasm. “Your filthy mouth—“ </p><p class="p1">“Where do you want my filthy mouth to go next?” Ren asked, sticking his tongue out. Zuko shoved his head down in a chuckle.</p><p class="p1">Sokka watched in horror Ren lick down Zuko’s balls and then continue further, further until he reached... no... was he really licking THAT?!</p><p class="p1">As to answer Sokka's question, Ren raised Zuko's legs and pushed them up until they were completely folded against Zuko's torso, displaying his hole for him to ravish it and for Sokka to see every little detail. Ren even went so far as to push a pillow under Zuko's hips, raising them to an enticing angle. And Zuko, that poor Zuko, he must have been about to burst in shame, right? But no, he was instead laughing and squirming in expectation. Ren gave his ass a good squeeze before he plunged back, entire face disappearing between his butt cheeks.</p><p class="p1">From this angle, Zuko's balls must have been squeezing against Ren's face, his nose completely full of Zuko's scent, and thinking about that sent a sharp shiver of arousal down Sokka's groin. He was so damn hard. But there was no way, absolutely no way he was going to touch himself while watching his two best bros fuck. No way!</p><p class="p1">When he looked up from his big shaft soiling his pants, Sokka saw Ren grab a bottle from the other side of the room, attracting it to his palm like a magnet. <em>Oh! His airbending got better!</em></p><p class="p1">Ren coated his fingers with the oil and slid two digits inside Zuko's rim, making him pushed his head back in pleasure. Zuko moaned loudly, toes curling. Sokka's mind came back to his initial question: how come he didn't hear them before sliding the door open? He tried to come up with ideas but really, it didn't make sense at all. The door was only open for about a centimeter, nothing more, and yet all the noise was coming through now. Why would it block everything when it was shut, and block nothing at all when it was barely open? It made absolutely no sense. Sokka slid his hand across the paper covering the door, but immediately pulled it back when he realized he was making noise.</p><p class="p1">Fortunately, the couple didn't seem to notice. Ren was entering Zuko with his cock, kissing him. Once he got fully inside, he gave one or two rolls of the hips to check for any pain, and then immediately picked up an intense rhythm, both hard and fast. Sokka suppressed a gasp when he heard the loud claps of skin against skin, the loud moans coming out of both lovers, the loud creaks coming from the bed frame. <em>That</em> looked absolutely exhausting! It didn't last for long though, as maybe a handful of minutes later, Ren came in a litany of swear words, collapsing over Zuko's chest, who laughed and rubbed his back.</p><p class="p1">"I'm so sorry, I let my mind wander too much and I came on the spot," Ren apologized, pouting.</p><p class="p1">Sokka frowned, empathetic. Zuko ran his fingers through his hair and cheered him up, voice low and mellow, whispering soft loving words than Sokka definitely wasn't supposed to hear.</p><p class="p1">These words prove to be a success, as Ren propped himself on his elbows and deepened his voice. "Want to know what I was thinking about?" he asked, putting a kiss on Zuko's neck. He didn't wait for the answer before he pulled himself out and reached for something in the bedside table's drawer.</p><p class="p1">Zuko was still bent in half and his thighs were spasming uncontrollably, cum spilling out and dripping down the curve of his ass. Sokka's throat went completely dry at the sight of the white drops flowing over the pillow under his hips.</p><p class="p1">Ren pulled something out from the drawer that looked a lot like a dick, but made of jade or something. Zuko was trying to catch his breath, and whined when he saw what was in Ren's hands.</p><p class="p1">"It's coming, it's coming, be a good boy!" Ren gently patted his ass with one hand while he lubed the dildo up with the other, moving it with airbending.</p><p class="p1">Zuko let out a moan full of relief when Ren pushed the toy inside and picked his previous pace back up.</p><p class="p1">"So, wanna know?" Ren lifted an eyebrow.</p><p class="p1">"Yes! Please-ah! Tell me!" Zuko begged between moans.</p><p class="p1">Sokka couldn't believe that Zuko was begging like that. The Fire Lord was clutching his own knees like a lifeline.</p><p class="p1">“Good boy,” Ren said, leaving a kiss mark on Zuko’s inner thigh. The combination of the praise and the sucking on his thigh made Zuko squirm, mind completely lost to pleasure.</p><p class="p1">Sokka rubbed his chin. <em>Zuko? A praise kink...? It kinda makes sense, somehow.</em></p><p class="p1">Ren hovered his hand over Zuko's hole, moving the jade dildo without touching it. With the other hand, he caressed Zuko's lips and said, "I was thinking about those beautiful lips, stretched around <em>something</em> thick and hot," he pushed his fingers inside Zuko's mouth, "while I press you down and fuck your needy hole until you can't think anymore." His other free hand wrapped around the Fire Lord's shaft, pumping slowly.</p><p class="p1">Zuko moaned around Ren's fingers and hollowed his cheeks, taking them deep. Something thick and hot. That was exactly what he needed right now.</p><p class="p1">"But I wouldn't be able to give you both at the same time, right?" Ren said and he pulled his fingers out. "No, I would need some help," he smirked.</p><p class="p1">Zuko knew where this was going, and he moaned loudly as Ren bit his nipple.</p><p class="p1">"Who could we ask for help?" Ren asked, circling his tongue around the pink nub. "Tell me Zuko, do you have any idea? Someone with a nice, thick cock, someone that could make you feel full from all sides? I wonder if we know someone like this."</p><p class="p1">Zuko was so close to coming he couldn't feel his legs anymore. All of a sudden everything he saw turned to white as he heard his own voice scream, “SOKKA!" with his whole chest. Ren had pulled on his hair with force, instantly triggering his climax, relentless shocks of pleasure running from his head to his toes, tingling every corner of his body.</p><p class="p1">On the other side of the sliding door, Sokka blocked both his nose and mouth with his hands as he came in his pants, completely untouched, absolutely terrified that his friends would hear him and find out that he was eavesdropping. His cock pulsed times and times again, his bulge twitching so hard it could be seen from the outside. Waves of his orgasm came crashing like a storm and he was so close, so close to passing out, but so scared that if he did, he would make noise and get caught. Never in his life did he feel such danger, even though spirits knew how many times he had almost died already. No word could describe how thrilling his orgasm felt.</p><p class="p1">He slowly, very slowly and carefully crawled back to his bed, and let himself swim in the afterglow. His pants were soaking wet and sticking to his skin, but he couldn't care less. The only thing that mattered was the echo of Zuko's voice, calling hiss name during his orgasm like his life depended on it.</p><p class="p1">
  <em>Spirits, how am I still alive?</em>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0013"><h2>13. Chapter 13</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>CW: some more eavesdropping</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p class="p1">"How big do you think it must be? Even soft it looks so big already," Ren teased, nibbling Zuko's earlobe. He was slowly taking him from the back, Zuko bent in half, pulled by the hair, forbidden to come until Ren would allow him to. "Maybe it wouldn't even fit in your mouth," Ren said, thrusting three fingers between his lover's lips.</p>
<p class="p1">Yes, they were talking about Sokka's dick again. And Sokka was eavesdropping on them fantasizing about his dick, again. This had become a reoccurring habit. Every few weeks or so, they would get together in the forest pavilion and eat and chat all night, and then they would go to bed, and Zuko and Ren would fuck, and Sokka would open the door just enough to see the shape of their bodies moving together, and he would time his orgasm so that he would come at the same time as the couple, muffling his moan as best as he could with his hand. He had given up on not touching himself, his balls hurting far too much after the second time he had eavesdropped.</p>
<p class="p1">Thanks to some sort of miracle, it hadn't made things awkward between the three friends. Sometimes Sokka would blush from ear to ear when Zuko or Ren would steal a kiss, thinking that they were being discreet, but it was a fairly natural reaction, wasn't it? Yep, Sokka was just acting completely natural, nothing out of the norm. The thought—and the vivid images—of the couple making love would fill his mind every night though, and it was getting really bad for his sleep schedule.</p>
<p class="p1">Fortunately his job as the South Pole ambassador wasn't the most tiring thing in the world. Mainly, he would have to read reports and attend some meetings when it concerned sea routes, but most of the time he had nothing to do and was free to roam around the city. It was such a big city, there was always something interesting to do, to see, to taste! The only complain he had was that the Fire Nation people had an awful taste for spice, and would always put way too much in. Other than that, he was perfectly happy.</p>
<p class="p1">One day, as he was spending the day hanging out with Ren, the seamstress asked him if he had visited the temple yet. Sokka hadn't, so they went together, picking some lunch at the market on the way.</p>
<p class="p1">"Spirits! It's gorgeous!" Sokka blurted as he entered the temple. It was completely covered from floor to ceiling with golden ornaments and red brocades, sparkling like the sun. He covered his mouth with his hand once he realized what he had just said. "Surely I shouldn't mention spirits around here, right?" he whispered to Ren.</p>
<p class="p1">Ren shrugged. "Well, Agni is kind of like the sun spirit, so maybe it's okay. I don't know a lot about Water Tribe beliefs, but I don't think they're contradictory to Agni's reign... and in the end, it's up to Agni's Son to decide wether it's blasphemous or not," he said, looking at the portrait over the altar. It was a lifelike painting of Fire Lord Zuko, looking straight ahead, royal hairpiece standing proudly on top of his head.</p>
<p class="p1">It all clicked in Sokka's mind. <em>Oh! So that's how the Fire Nation people see their Fire Lord!</em></p>
<p class="p1">"So... you worship Zuko? The whole Fire Nation worships Zuko?"</p>
<p class="p1">Ren nodded. "Until Ozai's defeat, that's what we were supposed to do toward the Fire Lord. But Zuko actively discourages it now. He says we should treat every human the same way we treat the Fire Lord. But it still hasn't really sunk in, so most Fire Nation still pray to him and give him offerings and stuff," he explained. "As for me... you know, there's not much difference between worship and love," he added, whispering.</p>
<p class="p1">Sokka knew Ren was whispering because his relationship with Zuko was a secret, but it lit something completely different in his heart. He craved the soft whispers as soon as they had faded away.</p>
<p class="p1">
  <em>Oh, Ren, the things you do to me.</em>
</p>
<p class="p1">His friend showed him how to prostrate and they prayed together for good luck and health. Then they went to the temple's gardens, sitting under a tree, and ate lunch.</p>
<p class="p1">"That portrait was gorgeous," Sokka said. "There's so much beautiful art here, it's insane."</p>
<p class="p1">Ren smiled. "Thanks," he said, because it was his home after all. "You should meet the royal painter. I heard he takes apprentices!"</p>
<p class="p1">Sokka lit up. "Does he?!" Oh spirits, that would be the coolest thing in the world!</p>
<p class="p1">If he had been able to convince Master Piandao to take him as a student, then there was no way he wouldn't be able to convince the royal painter to take him under his wing as well!</p>
<p class="p1">Master Xiaolong was... a tough cookie, to say the least. Far less willing to endure Sokka's antics than Master Piandao. But the young man wasn't going to give up so easily! He had come early in the morning, bringing all his doodles with him, and had asked the master painter to take him as an apprentice, bowing the way Ren had taught him. The old man had taken only one glance at his art before he had said a loud and definitive 'no', and slammed the door shut.</p>
<p class="p1">Sokka scratched his head, looking at his drawings, and thought that maybe it was too different from Fire Nation art to please the master, so he went home and spent the day drawing some more. The next day he came back with the new pictures, and once again, the master glanced at them, said 'no', and slammed the door shut. The scene repeated itself for two entire weeks, Sokka determined to at least get the old man to look at his art for more than one second before he would give up.</p>
<p class="p1">"I don't understand," he complained to Ren and Suki after sharing a few cups of alcohol one night. "He never even say anything other than 'no'! How can I ever improve if I'm not given any critics?"</p>
<p class="p1">Ren rubbed his back, leaning just a bit closer than usual, just because he was tipsy and couldn't really sit straight. "But you're working hard to improve, and he will see that!" he said, "You can't give up!"</p>
<p class="p1">Suki nodded, agreeing wholeheartedly. "Ren's right, don't give up! Where's my Big Wolf Warrior?" she said, pinching both of Sokka's cheeks.</p>
<p class="p1">Sokka stuck his tongue out, just to make her laugh. He was so glad he could still be so close to her without their past making things awkward.</p>
<p class="p1">Suki and Ren both giggled and let go of him. They were right. He couldn't give up. It was his chance to finally learn what he had wanted to learn for so long. And he <em>was</em> improving, by practicing so much. He was trying to get as many new drawings done each day as possible, and the sheer quantity was pushing his skill forward very fast. And it felt so good, not having to worry about running out of ink or paper! Of course, sometimes he would miss the South Pole, and his dad, and his tribe, but being able to enjoy his passion so much and being able to see his friends all the time made up for it.</p>
<p class="p1">One evening, as he wasn't able to sleep because of the many thoughts flooding his mind, he got to his desk and started drawing once again. During the previous weekend, Zuko and Ren had made love in just the right angle for him to see literally everything of Zuko's body getting ravished, from the angle his legs were parted to the way his eyelashes fluttered with pleasure as he came and splashed cum all over the sheets. It was the same exact position as the first time Sokka had seen him come, years ago, a few days before Ozai's defeat.</p>
<p class="p1">His brush moved on its own on the page, trying to recreate the picture on his mind, the beautiful curves of the Fire Lord's body, the shape of his hips, the valleys of his abs, his lean thighs and his strong arms. Quick brush strokes after quick brush strokes, the picture came to life, and when Sokka finally put down his brush, he straightened his back and looked at it in wonder. Had he really drawn that himself?</p>
<p class="p1">An old memory came back to him. In Ba Sing Se, when they had been looking for Aang's flying bison for an entire month, he had drawn posters of Appa and had glued them onto the walls of the Earth Kingdom capital. He snorted. Yep, he had definitely improved, no doubt about it.</p>
<p class="p1">He continued drawing all night, his hands moving almost on their own. As the morning sun rose above the horizon, he looked at his works with stinging eyes and sighed. He had drawn several portraits of both of his friends, one naked full body drawing of Ren, four of Zuko, and some more doodles of the couple making love. It was... both shameful and exhilarating. He loved what he had drawn, he really did. He shook his head, and careful put away most of them, hiding them under a pile of useless documents that nobody would ever look for. He took the last drawing on the table and left his room, heading for the royal painter's house.</p>
<p class="p1">Before his hand knocked on the door, he took a deep breath. He knew, deep in his heart, that he wouldn't have the strength to come back again if he was rejected today. It was too soul-crushing to continue being so stubborn.</p>
<p class="p1">"Yep, Sokka, this is your last chance," he told himself, put on his best smile, and knocked.</p>
<p class="p1">The man opened the door immediately, as if he had been waiting for Sokka, and squinted toward the piece of paper the young man held out without a word. Sokka closed his eyes, waiting for the final rejection... but it didn't come. No, he didn't hear the man groan and say 'no', he didn't hear the hinges of the door creaking, he didn't hear the loud bang of the wood hitting the wall, he didn't hear <em>anything</em>. He carefully opened one eye, and then the other, to see that the master was actually looking at his drawing, and was even reaching out to take it in his hands.</p>
<p class="p1">"Did you draw that?" the old man asked, startling Sokka.</p>
<p class="p1">"I... Yeah, I drew that last night," he managed to articulate, throat really dry.</p>
<p class="p1">Xiaolong held the picture in front of him, tilting his head. "It's not bad," he said, "it finally has a soul."</p>
<p class="p1">Sokka blinked. He couldn't believe his ears! "D-do you like it?"</p>
<p class="p1">The old man frowned, looking at him sideways. "There's nothing to like about it! I said 'it has a soul'!" he barked, and threw the picture back into Sokka's hands, and then immediately left, walking back to his workshop.</p>
<p class="p1">The portrait of Ren looking to the side with his hair in a braid landed in the young man's palms like a little snowflake blown by the wind. Sokka was about to cry, when he realized the old man hadn't closed his door on him, and was even looking back at him, giving a head nod, inviting him inside. It was the best day of his life!</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Wow, Sokka's arc just created itself all of a sudden, I had no plan to add another named oc, but it just had to happen, and I feel like it's for the better!<br/>If you want to read some more stories with Ren, I started posting a modern college AU with him and Sokka &amp; Zuko, <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25866865/chapters/62850676">the link is here!</a> I'll try to work faster on A Song of Storm and Fire first, because the two stories are parallel and I don't want to spoil!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0014"><h2>14. Chapter 14</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>CW: lots of sex talk.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p class="p1">Studying under Master Xiaolong was definitely not the easiest thing Sokka had done in his life. As expected, the old man was ruthless in his critique, and very sparse in his praise. But there wasn't a day where Sokka didn't learn at least ten new things, and he saw his art improve so much he had absolutely no regrets.</p><p class="p1">Zuko saw him busying himself with his hobby and suggested that he could use a pavilion closer to his master's villa, and set up a small workshop for himself there. Sokka, of course, accepted with tears in his eyes.</p><p class="p1">Life went on, and soon, half a year had passed since Sokka had stepped foot on the Fire Nation land as the ambassador of the South Pole, and he was definitely doing more art-related work than political nonsense, but there wasn't much to do on that front so he didn't feel too bad.</p><p class="p1">Spring was blooming all over the capital city and it gave him really, <em>really</em> bad pollen allergies.</p><p class="p1">"Hey Sokka! Glad I could find you!" Ren said, waving and running toward his friend one morning as Sokka was about to leave for the palace. "I made you some masks for your allergies!"</p><p class="p1">Sokka blinked, accepting the gift. "Did you... did you come that early here just to give them to me?"</p><p class="p1">Ren smiled. "Yeah! Don't worry it's okay, I got nothing to do today and I'm so used to waking up early I couldn't stay in bed."</p><p class="p1">"Oh? Then stay for breakfast! I only have to pick some documents at the palace and I'll be back right after. If you don't mind waiting for me?"</p><p class="p1">"Nah, it's fine! I'll wait for you in the workshop then!"</p><p class="p1">Sokka nodded, and then went on his way. He couldn't contain the smile on his lips, and there was no reason to do so, right? Hanging out with his best friend, a good reason to be happy!</p><p class="p1">It's only once he was trudging through the documents in his office in the palace that he realized what had happened.</p><p class="p1">
  <em>I'll wait for you in your workshop then!</em>
</p><p class="p1">Sokka suddenly remembered Ren's words.</p><p class="p1">
  <em>Wait a second.</em>
</p><p class="p1">The biggest wave of panic hit Sokka like a tsunami. He ran to the workshop as fast as he could. When he opened the door, to his utmost horror, Ren was sitting at his desk, looking at his drawings. He internally screamed when Ren turned his head toward him, a soft smile on his face.</p><p class="p1">"These are so pretty!" he said, and held up a picture of himself rimming Zuko's asshole.</p><p class="p1">That was it. That was the moment Sokka's soul left his body for good. That was the moment of his death. <em>I must be dead already. This is a dream, this is not reality, this is just me hallucinating because I'm dying right this very moment.</em></p><p class="p1">Ren put down the picture and held another one. "Could I have a copy of this one? Zuko looks so hot!"</p><p class="p1">The picture he was holding was of the Fire Lord fucking himself on a huge jade dildo while he had a thick cock coming all over his face, cum dripping down his neck and chest. It was undoubtedly Sokka's lewdest piece of art so far.</p><p class="p1">Sokka felt his knees go weak and saw the world turn to black.</p><p class="p1">He woke up not long after, Ren having dragged his body to the couch.</p><p class="p1">"Are you okay?" Ren asked, voice full of worry.</p><p class="p1">Sokka looked around, and saw that his desk was still covered in lewd art pieces. He wished he had died.</p><p class="p1">"Hey buddy, it's alright," Ren said, following his gaze. "Sorry I embarrassed you so bad. I thought since you drew them, you'd be chill talking about them."</p><p class="p1">Sokka inhaled sharply, and then exhaled very slowly. "I... I really wish you didn't see them."</p><p class="p1">"Why not? They're gorgeous!"</p><p class="p1">"For fuck's sake, don't you think it's weird?!" Sokka erupted. "How is that a normal reaction! You learn that your best friend is drawing porn of you and your—your <em>boyfriend</em> and you find it normal?!" Somehow, the word 'boyfriend' didn't feel right to describe Ren and Zuko's relationship.</p><p class="p1">Ren blinked for quite a while, taken aback. "But... But you've been watching us fuck for half a year?"</p><p class="p1">Sokka blushed from ear to ear, looking away.</p><p class="p1">“Sokka. Did you really think we’d didn’t know? That you were watching us?”</p><p class="p1">Sokka gulped so loud Ren heard him, and chuckled.</p><p class="p1">“I can hear anything, Sokka. I knew the second you opened that door that you were watching," Ren said, looking embarrassed. "I should apologize, I kind of tricked you into this. Hope you’re not too mad about it.”</p><p class="p1">Sokka winced. “What do you mean <em>'I’m mad'</em>?! You should be the one who’s mad!”</p><p class="p1">“Sokka! I wanted you to watch!" Ren blurted. "We both wanted you to watch, but we should have asked you first instead of involving you without your consent. It was wrong. I'm sorry."</p><p class="p1">
  <em>Don't you dare apologize!</em>
</p><p class="p1">Sokka rubbed his forehead, feeling his headache rise. "So," he started, but didn't finish his sentence. He finally looked at Ren in the eyes, trying to untangle all the feelings wrestling in his head.</p><p class="p1">Ren was thinking very hard about what to say, but in the end, he couldn't come up with anything, so he hugged Sokka very hard instead. Sokka instantly wrapped his arms around him, not knowing what to say either.</p><p class="p1">They stayed a while like this, silently coming to terms with the strange situation they were in.</p><p class="p1">At some point, Ren lifted his head up. "I'm sorry I looked at your stuff without asking. It was wrong. I apologize."</p><p class="p1">Sokka gave him a pat on the arm. "I'm sorry I drew you two in such compromising situations without asking. It was wrong. I apologize," he echoed.</p><p class="p1">"Still friends?" Ren asked like a child.</p><p class="p1">"Still friends," Sokka said, regretful smile on his lips.</p><p class="p1">"And full offense but I will not drop the topic, can I get a copy of that one?" Ren pointed at Zuko's picture again.</p><p class="p1">"What are you gonna do with it?" Sokka said, picking it up.</p><p class="p1">"Fap to it of course!"</p><p class="p1">Sokka coughed so hard he felt like his lungs would come out.</p><p class="p1">"What did you think I'd do? Isn't that what you do as well?" Ren laughed.</p><p class="p1">"No!!!" Sokka cried out between his coughs. "I don't—I don't!"</p><p class="p1">"Oh come on Sokka, I know you jerk off watching us, don't believe you can fool me, of all people!"</p><p class="p1">Again, Sokka couldn't believe Ren's reaction. "Fuck! Ren! How can you not think it's weird?! I don't understand you!"</p><p class="p1">Ren shrugged. "Why would that be weird? Your hot best friend, eavesdropping on you and jerking himself off while you fantasize about his probably giant dick? If anything is weird in this, it's probably me talking about your dick that much, to be honest."</p><p class="p1">Sokka blinked. "... You've got a point."</p><p class="p1">"Doesn't that make me a weirdo as well? And Zuko's so into it he jerks off with his fingers in his mouth, thinking about it. I don't even make that shit up, he admitted it himself."</p><p class="p1">Sokka gulped down once again. "... Oh <em>spirits</em>."</p><p class="p1">Ren smirked, knowing exactly what he was doing. "Hey, now feels like the right time to ask so..." Sokka closed his eyes, bracing himself. "Would you like to join us sometimes?"</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I'm writing the next chapter as I'm posting this and I'll post it very very soon, like today or tomorrow! I'm sorry it has taken me so long to get that posted, and that it's once again still not the awaited threesome, but it made more sense that way. As always, thanks for reading!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0015"><h2>15. Chapter 15</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>CW: as Ren says, it is "The threesome of your dream, my love."</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p class="p1">Forced by Ren to think of a plan, Sokka came up with a way to subtly convince Zuko to let him into his bedroom that night, without telling him what had happened, because there was no way to have such a conversation in the palace in plain daylight.</p><p class="p1">Of course the plan involved bribery with alcohol, and nobody was complaining.</p><p class="p1">"It's a sleepover then?" Zuko asked, leading the way to his bedroom, holding the fanciest bottle of liquor Sokka could find.</p><p class="p1">Suki was on guarding duty that night, and definitely didn't squint seeing Sokka there. "Good night my Lord, good night Ambassador," she said, but she really couldn't conceal the amusement in her voice.</p><p class="p1">"Yeah, a sleepover, am I right?" Sokka said, definitely louder on purpose, throwing himself on Zuko's plush bed right after he had closed the door.</p><p class="p1">Ren jumped down from the ceiling trap, just as planned.</p><p class="p1">Used to it by now, Zuko didn't even flinch. "Hi there," he said, lifting his eyebrow, amused by the timing.</p><p class="p1">Ren smiled mischievously. "Hi there. Heard there's a sleepover going on? Am I at the right address?" he asked, tone full of intent, wrapping his arms around the Fire Lord's neck and pulling him into a chaste kiss.</p><p class="p1">"Am I being tricked into something?" Zuko asked, glancing between his two friends.</p><p class="p1">"You are," Ren said with a sultry voice, "And it's exactly what you've been dreaming of."</p><p class="p1">Zuko pulled back from the hug, just to be sure. "Is it—?"</p><p class="p1">"The threesome of your dream, my love," Ren whispered to his ear.</p><p class="p1">Sokka could only guess what had been said, but Zuko's gaze suddenly turned so intense that he was pretty sure he couldn't back out anymore. Not that he wanted to, not at all.</p><p class="p1">"Let's get that sleepover started then," the Fire Lord said, pretending not to be affected even though he could already feel his body stir up.</p><p class="p1">He undid his topknot and put down his royal hairpiece on a table at the other end of the room. When he turned back, he looked like the prince of a fairy tale, with beautiful ebony hair framing his face and cascading over his shoulders. Sokka wanted to imprint the sight onto his memory forever.</p><p class="p1">Ren had joined him on the bed, half-sitting half-lying down, thoroughly amused by the whole situation. He removed the headscarf he was wearing to conceal his hair in the night, and set it aside on the bedside table. Zuko straddled him like it was the most natural thing to do, and they briefly kissed before looking at Sokka with expectation.</p><p class="p1">The young man gulped down, all confidence melted away. "I think I'll just—I'll just watch, if that's okay," he stuttered, blushing from ear to ear.</p><p class="p1">"Isn't that already what you were doing all this time?" Ren said with a smirk, raising an eyebrow, reaching for the man's belt.</p><p class="p1">"Don't pressure him," Zuko said, catching his hand and putting it on his own belt. "He'll come participate whenever he feels ready."</p><p class="p1">Ren chuckled, and then looked at Sokka with hungry eyes. "Yeah. How long do you think it'll take? Five minutes?"</p><p class="p1">Zuko hummed, thinking. "I believe in his resolve and I bet it'll take at least ten minutes."</p><p class="p1">Next to them, Sokka was fuming. "How many times do I have to tell you two! Stop betting on my reactions!"</p><p class="p1">"But where's the fun in that?" Ren told him with a soft voice, brushing a finger over his cheek and then immediately turning back to Zuko and ripping his belt out unceremoniously.</p><p class="p1">He opened Zuko's robes with a masterful hand, fingers finding all the hidden closures with ease and only slowly down when they could caress bare skin. Sokka watched them brush over Zuko's gorgeous abs, trail up his whole torso and rest on his chest, parting his robes a little more. Ren's mouth followed the same path, kissing all the way up until his lips found a nipple and settled on it. His eyes were on Sokka, sharp and hungry, the lustful aura absolutely suffocating.</p><p class="p1">"I—I'll go sit over there," Sokka stuttered, moving toward the chair of Zuko's dressing table. <em>'For now'</em> was left unsaid.</p><p class="p1">"Agni, I can't believe we're <em>finally</em> doing this," Zuko said between his teeth, throwing his head back. He shed his robes off, gasping and whimpering softly at the suction on his pec.</p><p class="p1">"I'm glad I went to see Sokka this morning, or it would never have happened," Ren chuckled against his skin, lips brushing over the pink bud.</p><p class="p1">"What happened?" Zuko asked, rolling his hips forward.</p><p class="p1">Ren slid his hands inside his pants, grabbing his butt. "I found <em>very tasty things</em> left over Sokka's desk in the workshop."</p><p class="p1">Zuko glanced at the man, gaze questioning. Sokka was hiding his face, only looking at his friends through his fingers.</p><p class="p1">"In the workshop? Was it art-related?"</p><p class="p1">Ren moved to his other nipple, leaving a trail of kisses on his path. "Yeah, it was. You wouldn't believe how hot he's drawn you."</p><p class="p1">"<em>Fuck</em>."</p><p class="p1">Zuko was so damn hard, just thinking about it.</p><p class="p1">Ren made him lie on the bed, legs folded up and back resting on his lover's lap, the two of them facing Sokka.</p><p class="p1">"Will you give him a good show?" Ren almost growled, voice full of arousal.</p><p class="p1">"Yes," Zuko shuddered.</p><p class="p1">"Remove your pants."</p><p class="p1">The Fire Lord did as he was told, taking his time. He slowly slid his pants down his thighs and then lifted his legs up to slide them all the way, taking the opportunity to show his ass off.</p><p class="p1">Sokka gulped down, his cock already leaking in his pants a little. He reached to grasp his thigh, uncovering half of his burning face. He was red from ear to ear.</p><p class="p1">Ren put his hands on the Fire Lord's knees, spreading them apart. "Close your eyes," he instructed. "Can you feel it? Sokka’s gaze on your skin."</p><p class="p1">Zuko whimpered, his cock twitching between his legs. He was completely hard already.</p><p class="p1">Ren ran his fingers through his hair, gently, and continued describing. "He’s looking at you with his bright blue eyes, licking his lips, swallowing. His pants are full, and his crotch is twitching as I speak." Zuko's hips were rocking back and forth against nothing, eager for contact. "Can you hear it? He’s breathing loud and heavy, his face flushed, lips parted, legs slowly spreading further. He looks so aroused. Do you want him?"</p><p class="p1">"I want him so bad," Zuko moaned, reaching back to grab at anything his hands could find. He anchored himself holding Ren's shoulders, spreading his legs further apart.</p><p class="p1">Sokka jumped to his feet without meaning to. Ren lifted an eyebrow, asking silently what he was going to do.</p><p class="p1">"I—I don't know, sorry, I didn't think, I can't think, I—"</p><p class="p1">Zuko opened his eyes, chuckling. "Hey, it's okay to be nervous. Come here," he patted next to him, voice clear again. Of course he would have liked to completely forget himself and just get wrecked tonight, but Sokka was definitely not comfortable enough to do that. <em>Yet,</em> he thought, hopeful.</p><p class="p1">He grabbed Sokka's arm, sitting up, and whispered to his ear, "What about we reward this cutie for he finally has found a way to get us all here?"</p><p class="p1">"Hey, I was the one to come up with the sleepover plan!" Sokka said, making everybody snort.</p><p class="p1">"But don't you wanna wreck him?"</p><p class="p1">Ren blinked at them innocently, although he had definitely heard everything. With some airbending magic, his clothes popped open, definitely nothing of his own doing.</p><p class="p1">"Oh no, my innocence!" he gasped, trying to hide himself with his hands and purposefully failing at it.</p><p class="p1">"He needs to get wrecked so <em>hard</em>," Sokka growled, undressing as fast as he could.</p><p class="p1">Zuko and Ren laughed out loud, glad that the tension had finally broken off, and then they gasped and fell into silence, looking with a laser focus at Sokka's dick, pink rising on their cheeks.</p><p class="p1">"What?" Sokka choked.</p><p class="p1">Ren's eyelashes fluttered. "Agni, it's..."</p><p class="p1">"... big," Zuko finished off.</p><p class="p1">Shame and pride both rose in Sokka's chest, the comment making his dick twitch happily. Of course he had compared himself to them and already knew he was the biggest of the three but... coming from their mouths, with their hungry eyes looking at it, it felt completely different and much, <em>much</em> better.</p><p class="p1">"I, uh, well, okay let's, uh," he tried to come up with sentences, but what even were words at this point?</p><p class="p1">Zuko chuckled once again, taking his hand and squeezing it gently to reassure him. "I take his dick, you take his mouth? How does that sound?"</p><p class="p1">Ren grinned, already sliding on the bed into position.</p><p class="p1">Sokka inhaled deeply. "Sounds good," he choked out before his exhale was over, his voice squeaking.</p><p class="p1">Zuko instructed him to straddle Ren's chest, cock standing proudly right in front of his face. Sokka whimpered when Ren gave him a few delicate tugs, and then kissed all the way to the tip, looking directly into his eyes.</p><p class="p1">"Mmh, that won't do," Ren frowned, pulling back a little. "Zuko can't see anything like that."</p><p class="p1">Sokka's brain was just a wet pile of mush at this point, so he let himself be guided, obedient.</p><p class="p1">Ren made him turn around and sit behind his head instead, and put a big pillow under his back and lay down, his head forced to hang down a little. It was just the right angle for Sokka to slide into Ren's mouth, his breath tickling his balls. Sokka prayed the spirits at the sensation, not even sure of how he wasn't already coming all over his face.</p><p class="p1">Zuko smiled. "Agni, that's what I call a nice view." He was fingering himself with oil while admiring the scene.</p><p class="p1">Ren's mouth was stretched wide around Sokka's girth. He hummed, encouraging Sokka to go deeper. Sokka cautiously pushed his hips forward, but stopped once he felt his tip touch the back of Ren's mouth. Ren whined loudly, and the vibrations sent shivers down Sokka's spine.</p><p class="p1">"Go deeper," Zuko said. "He likes it."</p><p class="p1">"I don't want to choke him on my dick!" Sokka blurted.</p><p class="p1">Zuko chuckled. "But he wants you to!"</p><p class="p1">To prove Zuko's point, Ren raised his hand and made a thumbs up, the other hand grabbing Sokka's hip and tugging it forward. Sokka inhaled and delicately pushed his cock further. Ren's throat contracted around him, but Zuko hummed in encouragement, so Sokka didn't stop. He could see Ren's throat deforming on the outside, welcoming his thick shaft, bobbing up and down as Ren tried his best to swallow around him. Sokka could feel tears and spit wetting his balls, and oh spirits, Ren must have looked like such a mess under him. Sokka stilled himself once he was fully sheathed down Ren's throat, Ren squeezing his ass with one hand and blocking him from pulling out. He sounded like he was enjoying himself immensely.</p><p class="p1">On the other end of Ren's body, Zuko hadn't stayed static either. He was already riding Ren slow and shallow, building up pleasure for both of them, his lover's hand squeezing and tugging on his nipple. Ren let go of it for a moment to reach for Sokka's hand, and lead it to Zuko's other nipple. Sokka had no idea of what to do with the pink nub, so he just glanced at Ren's hand for guidance, and followed his example. At the same time, Ren encouraged him to move back and forth in his mouth, hand on his ass squeezing and tugging, fingers sliding up and down, Ren angling his head a little to nuzzle Sokka's balls, varying the sensations.</p><p class="p1">This was a lot to take at the same time, and as Zuko soon quickened his pace, cock slapping down on Ren's stomach, the three of them became so loud they couldn't hear their own thoughts anymore.</p><p class="p1">Sokka was huffing and puffing hard, trying not to be too rough even though he could guess Ren would love it. He just didn't want to hurt him, okay? He couldn't see it, but Ren was rolling his eyes back in pleasure, so utterly fucked out of his mind nothing mattered anymore. That was everything he had dreamt of and then more. On his dick, Zuko was fucking himself eagerly, strong thighs bouncing against his hips, sensation familiar, last anchor point to reality. Ren wrapped a loose hand around his cock and pumped fast, feeling his own orgasm get very close and hoping that he would at least get Zuko to completion before he did. But alas, of course he didn't.</p><p class="p1">Ren came in a muffled cry, whole body jerking and trembling, orgasm so strong his vision blanked out.</p><p class="p1">Sokka immediately pulled out, letting him heave freely. Ren caught him before he completely lifted his dick off his face, forcing him to resting the heavy shaft directly on his cheek. He was absolutely drenched in sweat and tears and drool and probably some cum too, lips and cheeks red, eyes glazed and hair sticking to his forehead, nuzzling Sokka's big cock blissfully and <em>yeah, that may have been when Sokka realized he was in love.</em></p><p class="p1">"The most delicious thing in the world," Ren articulated, voice completely broken, wrapping a hand over the shaft and pressing it gently on his face.</p><p class="p1">Sokka whimpered, affected as much by the gesture as he was by the words.</p><p class="p1">"Will you fuck Zuko good with this?"</p><p class="p1">"I-I'll try!"</p><p class="p1">Sokka went around the bed and sat behind Zuko, straddling Ren's thighs as well. Zuko let him gently remove Ren's soft dick from inside and replace it with his own bigger cock, the stretch considerable but oh so delicious.</p><p class="p1">"Oh <em>fuck yeah</em>, come on me babe," Ren growled, resuming pumping Zuko's dick nice and fast.</p><p class="p1">"Sokkaaa," Zuko moaned his lungs out, pushing his hips back to meet his thrusts.</p><p class="p1">"Go harder," Ren instructed.</p><p class="p1">Sokka happily complied. "I'm—ahh, I'm getting close!"</p><p class="p1">"Wreck his ass!" Ren growled, and Zuko couldn't agree more.</p><p class="p1">Sokka ended up squishing his face on Ren's chest and fucking him so hard he felt like an animal, grunting and moaning loudly. They soon came all over Ren's stomach, Sokka having pulled out at the very last moment in one last glimpse of mindfulness.</p><p class="p1">They collapsed on their side while Ren extracted himself from between their legs and went to grab towels to clean himself off.</p><p class="p1">He came back to bed and lay resting his head on Sokka's chest, meeting Zuko face to face and leaving a small kiss on his nose.</p><p class="p1">Sokka slapped his own face. "Oh spirits, I can't believe we did THAT!"</p><p class="p1">Ren and Zuko both giggled. "You've never dreamt of having that, back in the South Pole," Ren said with a smirk.</p><p class="p1">"I wouldn't even have conceived that in my mind!" Sokka blurted. "Where did you learn all of this?! I can't believe how filthy you are!"</p><p class="p1">"And you loved it," Zuko said and bit Sokka's neck playfully.</p><p class="p1">"I learnt everything in books," Ren said nonchalantly, circling a finger around Sokka's nipple. "Very high quality books, I must say. Very instructional."</p><p class="p1">"Wait," Zuko said. "Really?"</p><p class="p1">Ren grinned. "Didn't I rave enough about Master Piandao's library already?"</p><p class="p1">Both Sokka and Zuko choked on their own saliva. "He owns that kind of books?!" they said in unison.</p><p class="p1">Ren laughed. "He owns ALL kinds of books, and that's what makes his library so great!"</p><p class="p1">And now Zuko and Sokka had to live with that knowledge. Oh well, after what they just had done, nothing was too shameful to know.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>DAMN IT, FINALLY! Gosh I can't believe it took that long, it was one of the first things I planned for this fic. Phew! But don't be afraid my friend, you'll get A LOT of  Zuko/Sokka/Ren in the future :D as always, thanks for reading my fic!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0016"><h2>16. Chapter 16</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>CW: so much smut in here, my friend</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p class="p1">The next day, Sokka stumbled upon Suki on his way out. He immediately turned crimson red, realizing that she must have heard everything.</p>
<p class="p1">"Hi Sokka! Slept well? Not too hungover?" she asked, patting his shoulder as if she knew nothing.</p>
<p class="p1">Or maybe she really didn't?</p>
<p class="p1">Just in case, Sokka tried to act naturally, probably failed horribly and ran away as soon as possible, not looking back, leaving her quite confused.</p>
<p class="p1">"Ah, you're there!" Ren called, running toward the workshop when Sokka arrived, his wooden sandals knocking on the ground.</p>
<p class="p1">"Don't you have work today?" Sokka asked, confused.</p>
<p class="p1">"I do, I'm on delivery! I just thought I could pay you back for breakfast yesterday!" Ren handed him a small bag of croissants.</p>
<p class="p1">Sokka pulled him inside, clapping the door, and hugged him tight. "Thanks," he said, his heart thundering in his chest. There was no way Ren hadn't noticed it, but it was fine, right? No need to pretend anymore.</p>
<p class="p1">Ren watched him, his eyes moving along the lines of his face, brief moment full of tenderness, as if time had slowed down. "It's nothing," he whispered, and Sokka watched his lips move and delicately got closer, pulled in as if he had been hypnotized.</p>
<p class="p1">Ren gently brushed his nose against Sokka's, soft lips trembling a little. Something snapped in Sokka and he wrapped him in a tight embrace, kissing him with all his soul.</p>
<p class="p1">Ren immediately parted his lips, inviting Sokka's tongue inside. They eagerly danced together, parting and meeting again, finding the rhythm that suited them the most. Their hands were running all over each other, pulling and squeezing and grabbing through the clothes, their necks finding a better angle, their hips pressed together.</p>
<p class="p1">They parted just enough to catch their breath, forehead resting against forehead. "You taste like the sea," Ren said, eyes sparkling.</p>
<p class="p1">"You mean, like fish?" Sokka wasn't impressed.</p>
<p class="p1">"Mmh, more like seaweed," Ren chuckled. Sokka groaned.</p>
<p class="p1">"More like seaweed, and sand..." Ren continued, "... and icebergs, and corals, and tiny pearls hidden inside pretty shells. Like vacations on a tropical island where the only thing you need to worry about is how grilled you want your fish to be and—"</p>
<p class="p1">Sokka didn't let him continue, and pressed their lips back together.</p>
<p class="p1">“You’re a terrible poet,” he said after the kiss.</p>
<p class="p1">Ren laughed. "Oh, for sure!" He kissed Sokka again, leaving a small peck with the tip of his lips. "I really have to go now, have a great day! See you tonight!" And before Sokka could blink, he was already gone.</p>
<p class="p1">They had planned to meet at the forest pavilion that night, and Sokka was very looking forward to it. Would they have sex together again? Maybe. Maybe not. In any case, he was glad they still wanted to hang out with him.</p>
<p class="p1">But first, he had stuff to draw. Tons of it. He wasn't going to allow the memories of the previous night to fade, just in case it was a one-time thing. Oh, how he hoped it wasn't! His heart was screaming for it!</p>
<p class="p1">He had been studying under Master Xiaolong for several weeks now and had quickly learned that the man's mind was at least as filthy as his, after finding some woodblock prints of tentacle monster porn in the multitude of drawings hung on the wall of his master's workshop, so his shame had died down a little. It had been a relief, really, when the old man had told him that yeah, it was a really good way to learn anatomy. Sokka would never show him his drawings though, but he felt like it was a sort of obvious silent agreement between all artists anyway. His erotic art was for himself and himself only. Oh, and maybe his two muses, yeah. But nobody else.</p>
<p class="p1">His eyes travelled to the picture of Zuko covered in cum that Ren had held the day before. <em>He wanted a copy of that one, right.</em></p>
<p class="p1">He could still feel the musky air of the Fire Lord's bedroom, the soft silk bedsheets under his knees, the tickles of Ren's breath blowing on his balls, the scorching heat of Zuko's insides, wrapped tight around his dick.</p>
<p class="p1">Sokka let his head fall onto the paper in a painless bump. <em>How will I ever be able to think about anything else?!</em></p>
<p class="p1">He went to the pavilion in the late afternoon, hoping that he would arrive there first and get to have maybe an hour to meditate his arousal off. He had jerked off three times already that day.</p>
<p class="p1">But unluckily, Zuko was already there, serving dinner on the table, putting the last touches to a giant meal that could feed at least eight people. He was wearing simpler clothes and an apron but looked regal nonetheless.</p>
<p class="p1">He turned back when he heard the door slide open, smiling. "Oh, hi buddy! You're early!"</p>
<p class="p1">Sokka sighed, anxiety rising in his chest. It's when he saw the shape of his shoulders, the way he held his posture straight and proper, the shine of his long hair and the sparkling royal hairpiece at the top of his head that Sokka realized <em>what he had done</em>.</p>
<p class="p1">
  <em>He had kissed the Fire Lord's (probably) future spouse.</em>
</p>
<p class="p1">"You will never guess who I got a letter from!" Zuko said, bright smile on his lips.</p>
<p class="p1">Sokka didn't even hear him. He gulped down, his chest so tight he felt like he was drowning. "Hey, uh, Zuko, uh... I have something to confess."</p>
<p class="p1">Zuko raised his eyebrow, blinking.</p>
<p class="p1">Sokka immediately launched himself into the longest explanation of what had happened when Ren came to see him in the morning, happily bringing croissants for breakfast and how he had his hair up and he was so pretty and his dress was gorgeous and he had probably made it himself and Sokka was so proud of him for being so good at his craft and how he had worked so hard all these years and how he hadn't been able to stop himself from <em>kissing him.</em></p>
<p class="p1">"You and Ren kissed?" Zuko's eyes opened wide.</p>
<p class="p1">Sokka finally inhaled, completely out of breath. "...Yeah. And I'm sorry we did."</p>
<p class="p1">"But why?"</p>
<p class="p1">"It was in the heat of the moment, our faces were close and—"</p>
<p class="p1">"No, I mean, why are you sorry?"</p>
<p class="p1">Sokka finally looked at Zuko in the eyes, blinking several times. "...You're not mad?"</p>
<p class="p1">"Why should I be?" Zuko pulled him into a hug. "Oh Sokka," he said against his neck, caressing the braid tucked in Sokka's ponytail. "You're my two favorite people in the entire world. Of course I'm not mad."</p>
<p class="p1">Sokka pushed him back just enough to look at his face. "I thought I did something wrong."</p>
<p class="p1">Zuko smiled. "But you <em>did</em> do something wrong."</p>
<p class="p1">Sokka frowned, worried.</p>
<p class="p1">"You still haven't kissed me yet," Zuko said, a smug smile on his lips.</p>
<p class="p1">Sokka opened his mouth in surprise, and Zuko proceeded to kiss him so well he felt his knees go weak. It was definitely rougher than Ren's kiss, but cozier and warmer, and it tasted like that spicy chocolate cake that was sold at the market during winter.</p>
<p class="p1">When they parted, Sokka pursued Zuko's lips a brief instant, chasing the sensation. Zuko grinned and grabbed his waist, making him lose his balance and fall down on his back. Zuko restrained him just enough that he didn't hurt himself in the process. He lay between Sokka's legs and ravished his lips, feeling the Water Tribe man relax in his embrace. Sokka's fingers dove into his long black hair, playing with the silky locks. Soon his hands were creeping down the back of the Fire Lord's collar, untying the apron and loosening the fabric enough that the front of his kimono exposed some gloriously appetizing skin. Zuko's hand had slipped under Sokka's tunic, marveling at the soft valleys of his abs, fingers tracing a line above his belly button.</p>
<p class="p1">Their lips clashed again, this time with more hunger. Zuko pressed himself onto his friend's body, his long hair surrounding their faces like a curtain, hiding them from the world. Sokka hooked his arms around the Fire Lord's shoulders, angling his head in a whimper, surrendering to lust. He wanted him, he wanted him so much, he wanted this to be a thing, a forever thing, a thing that all three of them would do without limit, without guilt, without shame.</p>
<p class="p1">He wanted to love him. To love them both. But he would never have what they had.</p>
<p class="p1">Zuko pulled back from the kiss, biting his lip. "Can I suck your cock?" he asked with the biggest puppy eyes ever.</p>
<p class="p1"><em>I can't believe this man almost killed me a bazillion times a few years ago,</em> Sokka thought, still in complete denial that this was real. He gulped down, nodding.</p>
<p class="p1">Zuko slid his hand down his stomach, immediately reaching for his belt and untying it, licking his lips hungrily. Sokka's cock was only half-hard but Zuko still gasped when he saw it, visibly very satisfied.</p>
<p class="p1">"Is it... that big?" Sokka blurted, and immediately hid his face with a hand.</p>
<p class="p1">Zuko grinned. "It <em>is</em>. And," he reached to remove his friend's hand, "You have no idea how much I've always wanted it—oh wait, actually, you do, ahah!"</p>
<p class="p1">Sokka groaned, rolling his eyes. "I can't believe it. How can you two just <em>laugh</em>, knowing that I-I watched you! That I heard everything! Shouldn't you be ashamed? And angry at me?"</p>
<p class="p1">Zuko hummed, brushing his face down Sokka's chest. "Sex is not something to be ashamed of, Sokka," he said with a gentle voice, "And we <em>taunted</em> you so hard, we did it on purpose! Why do you think Ren cut off the soundproofing at my uncle's house last year?"</p>
<p class="p1">Sokka raised his eyebrows. "The soundproofing?"</p>
<p class="p1">"You didn't know he could do that?" Zuko tilted his head, his scorching breath blowing over Sokka's groin.</p>
<p class="p1">"...No... Oh spirits! So it was all on purpose?!"</p>
<p class="p1">Zuko smiled mischievously, taking his dick between his fingers. "It was all on purpose," he said with a low voice, lips moving against the sensitive shaft.</p>
<p class="p1">Sokka whined, hips already trembling from the arousal. Zuko tucked a strand of his hair behind his ear and gently licked the tip of his cock, wetting it before leaving a kiss on it and circling his thumb all over it. His lips were so warm, so soft, Sokka felt like he was melting. When Zuko wrapped his hot mouth around his cock, the loud moan that passed through his lips startled him. He rolled his eyes, panting, whispering "Zuko, Zuko, Zuko!" again and again.</p>
<p class="p1">It felt nothing like Ren's blowjob the day before, much slower and gentler, much worse for his heart. He couldn't choose between the two. His hands were clutching the air, his toes curling, his hips jerking in pleasure.</p>
<p class="p1">"Oh, having fun already?" Ren asked as he opened the door, an eyebrow raised, amused.</p>
<p class="p1">Zuko lifted his head, grinning. "Dinner can wait," he said, and left a small kiss on Sokka's tip before getting back up.</p>
<p class="p1">Sokka didn't know where to look, skin crimson red from head to toe. Ren chuckled and reached for his hand, leading him to the bed in the other room.</p>
<p class="p1">"Ah, but the food will get cold!" Sokka yelped.</p>
<p class="p1">Zuko laughed as he removed his clothes and his hairpiece. "It's okay, I can heat it back up!"</p>
<p class="p1">"But..."</p>
<p class="p1">"You're the dinner," Ren said, eyes heavy with lust, pushing him back to sit on the bed with just the tip of his finger. Chills ran down Sokka's spine, enjoying far too much the idea of being bossed around.</p>
<p class="p1">Zuko hugged Ren from behind, sliding his hands in his clothes and opening them, leaving kisses on the side of his head, his neck and his shoulder. Ren was so small, Zuko could cover him entirely with his arms if he wanted to.</p>
<p class="p1">Sokka swooned, seeing how cute they were for the millionth time and still not getting over it. An endearing sigh passed through his lips.</p>
<p class="p1">Ren smiled at him, chuckling. "How was your day? Did you miss us?"</p>
<p class="p1">Sokka's eyes fluttered. "I-I did some work..."</p>
<p class="p1">Zuko climbed on the bed, kneeling in the middle of it, facing Sokka. "Some work?"</p>
<p class="p1">"What did you draw?" Ren asked, not fooled at all, helping him remove his last clothes.</p>
<p class="p1">Sokka pulled him into a hug, mumbling against his chest. "You perfectly know what I drew."</p>
<p class="p1">Zuko and Ren laughed and dropped the topic, the poor man having suffered enough for today. They picked right back where Zuko and Sokka had left, Ren taking the Fire Lord from behind, opening him with masterful fingers and kiss marks all over his ass.</p>
<p class="p1">Zuko was working hard, trying to fit this giant gorgeous delicious <em>thing</em> into his mouth, poking the back of his throat with it, fighting against his gagging reflex, tears in eyes. It was much harder to blow than Ren's, but it felt <em>so good</em>.</p>
<p class="p1">Ren showered him in praise. "Look at you, my love, eating him so well, you're so good at that, so good at sucking his cock," he said, pushing his dick inside his ass.</p>
<p class="p1">Zuko rolled his eyes, moaning loudly. He pulled back, focusing on the tip, his hand pumping the shaft slowly.</p>
<p class="p1">"Oh fuck, Zuko," Sokka whimpered, panting. He reached down, cupping his friend's cheek, thumb sliding under his unscarred eye, collecting his tears of pleasure. Zuko leaned into the touch, lips chasing the finger, swallowing it while he looked at Sokka right in the eyes, snapping the few bits of sanity he had left.</p>
<p class="p1">Sokka grabbed him by the hair and shoved him back on his cock, having watched them fuck enough times that he knew Zuko loved it. Ren smiled, taking it as an invitation to get rougher, switching from slow and deep thrusts to fast pounding.</p>
<p class="p1">They progressively went harder and harder, the bed loudly creaking under their weight, Zuko choked moans filling up the room while Sokka gasped and Ren groaned, clutching his ass cheeks so hard it left fingerprints on them.</p>
<p class="p1">Each of Ren's thrusts squished Zuko's face against Sokka's groin, pushing his thick cock down the Fire Lord's throat. Sokka could feel the impossibly warm insides contracting around him, Zuko's vocal chords vibrating with every moan, his jaw stretched so wide it trembled from the physical effort.</p>
<p class="p1">The Fire Lord reached behind, a big hand grabbing his ass while he angled his head differently, procuring the variety of sensation that pushed Sokka over the edge. His orgasm surprised him, not feeling it coming at all, but luckily he had the lucidity to pull back before impolitely coming inside his friend's mouth. Zuko's eyes sparkled when he realized what was about to happen, but before anything could come out of Sokka's dick, Ren gave a very strong thrust and the bed collapsed under them, the mattress falling to the floor in a loud thump.</p>
<p class="p1">They blinked, not sure of what had just happened, and then they all started laughing with their whole lungs, Zuko and Sokka's deep voices hitting with the strength of a waterfall, Ren's giggles tinkling like raindrops on a leaf.</p>
<p class="p1">"Oh Agni!" Ren held his stomach, tears of laughter pearling in the corner of his eyes.</p>
<p class="p1">"Fuck, I was getting so close!" Zuko giggled, circling Sokka's waist with his arms, resting his head on his lap.</p>
<p class="p1">"And <em>I</em> was coming! I was coming right then and there!" Sokka exclaimed, still swimming in the afterglow.</p>
<p class="p1">Zuko nuzzled his dick lovingly, but then froze. "Wait. Did you come dry?"</p>
<p class="p1">It was only then that Sokka realized. "Oh shit! Yeah I did, spirits!"</p>
<p class="p1">Ren smirked, spreading Zuko's legs and entering him again. "How many times did you jerk off today?" he asked, voice low and bossy.</p>
<p class="p1">Sokka suppressed a whimper, chills rising again. "...Three times," he admitted, blush spreading on his cheeks.</p>
<p class="p1">Ren reached for Zuko's cock, jerking him fast. "You hear that, Zuko? Oh fuck, I really wish I would have been there," he said, panting hard. "<em>Fuck</em>, now that I know what kind of face he makes when he comes, <em>oh shit</em>, so hot, <em>ahh!</em>"</p>
<p class="p1">Zuko wrapped his hand around himself and quickened their pace, bringing himself to completion while Ren came inside his fluttering hole. They collapsed on the mattress, panting hard. Sokka got up to bring some towels and helped them clean up, mind still all fuzzy.</p>
<p class="p1">"Zuko, my sweet turtleduck, do you mind if we take a nap before dinner?" Ren slurred, eyelids heavy, face squished down on the pillow and no energy left at all.</p>
<p class="p1">"It's okay, it tastes even better reheated," Zuko chuckled, yawning. He glanced at Sokka and patted the sheets, encouraging him to lie between them.</p>
<p class="p1">"I can't believe we broke the bed," Sokka said as he lay down, instantly wrapped in two pairs of loving arms.</p>
<p class="p1">"Ahahah, maybe we could do it more gently next time," Zuko snorted.</p>
<p class="p1">Sokka's chest filled with relief. "Will there really be a next time?" he asked with the smallest voice.</p>
<p class="p1">Ren rose on his elbow, looking at him with a soft smile. "I don't know. Do you want one?"</p>
<p class="p1">Sokka nodded shyly.</p>
<p class="p1">Ren looked at his man. "Do you want one, Zuko?"</p>
<p class="p1">Zuko grinned, squeezing Sokka harder and biting his neck playfully. "Fuck yeah I do!"</p>
<p class="p1">Sokka sighed with relief, thanking the spirits for his luck. It didn't take long before they fell asleep, and they woke up with the sun the next morning, having slept like charms without a need for dinner.</p>
<p class="p1">Zuko woke up first and immediately started heating everything up again for breakfast, glad that he hadn't left anything uncovered. The smell woke Ren up, and he gently caressed Sokka's hair until the Water Tribe man woke up as well, eyes all puffy and dry, but in a very good mood.</p>
<p class="p1">"Now this really feels like a sleepover," Ren chuckled, eating breakfast with only his underwear on, snuggled against Zuko for warmth.</p>
<p class="p1">"As in, groggy morning eating leftovers from the dinner before?" Zuko asked, smiling.</p>
<p class="p1">"It'd be so cool if we could bring all the Gaang here," Ren said, munching on a dumpling. "They have to taste your cooking, it's absolutely delicious!"</p>
<p class="p1">Zuko smiled proudly, putting some more food in everyone's plates. "Oh, speaking of them, I got a letter yesterday!"</p>
<p class="p1">"Oh right, you told me about that," Sokka remembered. "Who was it from?"</p>
<p class="p1">"From Toph!"</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>This was supposed to be two chapters but I decided to join them together. Thanks for reading! I hope zukkaren is satisfying enough, for the time it has taken me to reach that point!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0017"><h2>17. Chapter 17</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>cw: smut smut smut</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p class="p1">Ren and Sokka both jumped up, frowning.</p>
<p class="p1">"A letter from Toph?"</p>
<p class="p1">"But she can't write?"</p>
<p class="p1">Zuko snorted. "From Toph <em>and Katara</em>. It's her writing, and she included details that literally nobody else would know, just in case."</p>
<p class="p1">"How's my sister?" Sokka asked.</p>
<p class="p1">"What does the letter say?" Ren asked at the same time.</p>
<p class="p1">"It says that Katara has decided to go back to travelling with Aang and that she's finally dumped the fuckboy..."</p>
<p class="p1">Ren lifted his eyebrows, putting two and two together. "... Jet?"</p>
<p class="p1">"<em>Of course</em> Jet," Sokka squinted.</p>
<p class="p1">Zuko chuckled. "Yeah, that one. And she also says that Toph has decided to run away from her parents again and they're currently both on a boat to the Fire Nation!"</p>
<p class="p1">Sokka gasped and Ren smiled. "I was wondering what was taking Toph so long to do that," he said, giggling.</p>
<p class="p1">"It's a miracle she stayed with them for so long," Sokka added, snorting.</p>
<p class="p1">"They should be arriving tomorrow if the weather is fair," Zuko said. "How about we all meet up here in the evening?"</p>
<p class="p1">"Three days in a row?" Ren asked, cocky tone in his voice.</p>
<p class="p1">"What, like you're tired?" Zuko replied, smirking.</p>
<p class="p1">Ren bit into a very crunchy shrimp. "Who? Me? Be careful with what you say, old man!"</p>
<p class="p1">Sokka giggled, listening to their bickering. <em>I love them. I love them so much.</em></p>
<p class="p1">They all got to their tasks of the day, Ren running a little late but at that point he was getting so many good clients his boss wouldn't fire him anymore. She was, of course, getting a substantial cut of his commission work, as he was still her apprentice.</p>
<p class="p1">Sokka was in charge of being amongst the officials meeting with Katara and Toph at the port. But a few hours into the afternoon, he received a message saying that there was a delay caused by the weather and that the ship was expecting to arrive a day late. Sokka wasn't too concerned about their safety as Katara was on the ship, but he was still quite disappointed.</p>
<p class="p1">He went to meet Ren on the way to the pavilion, but Ren told him that there had been water damage to the theater's costume storage room and that he was all of a sudden crawling under a huge amount of orders, so he had to cancel and stay to work all night.</p>
<p class="p1">So Sokka walked to the pavilion by himself, sighing.</p>
<p class="p1">"Oh, you came alone?" Zuko asked, putting down the fire under the soup pot.</p>
<p class="p1">Sokka proceeded to explain everything, pouting. "I'm just—" His voice broke. "Spirits, I feel so stupid. But I was just so happy to have everybody here tonight!"</p>
<p class="p1">Zuko melted, sighing with compassion. "Hey it's okay buddy, I understand. To be honest I was kind of expecting something to go wrong."</p>
<p class="p1">Sokka lifted an eyebrow. "Expecting? Why?"</p>
<p class="p1">"I don't know. Things were going too well, you know. I mean, us three, able to meet for three nights in a row? Even just Ren and I, it's impossible, but adding you on top was definitely asking for too much."</p>
<p class="p1">Sokka snorted. "Yeah. Ahh, maybe it was too much." He glanced over the table. "Like the amount of food you've made. Oh spirits, Zuko, how many mouths do you think we have?!"</p>
<p class="p1">The table was overflowing with food to the point where Zuko had to bring another table to fit even more plates.</p>
<p class="p1">The Fire Lord scratched his chin, laughing. "Ahah, yeah, I may have overestimated!"</p>
<p class="p1">"You always do! What do you do with all the leftovers every time?"</p>
<p class="p1">"I make the Kyoshi warriors pack them up and distribute them to the poor," Zuko said, running a gentle finger over the rim of an empty bowl. "It's my way of giving back to the people."</p>
<p class="p1">"Amongst many other ways," Sokka added, smiling. "You're a good Fire Lord, Zuko. They like you."</p>
<p class="p1">Zuko's jaw tensed. "I—I don't know, am I? I feel like I'm always scraping by, always playing catch up and discovering new shit that my ancestors have done and that I have to undo. There's just so, so much legal stuff I haven't even had the time to read, and I've been Fire Lord for <em>two years</em> already!"</p>
<p class="p1">"You're doing fine, really," Sokka said, and he meant it.</p>
<p class="p1">Even during the short time he had lived in the Fire Nation, he had seen the lives of people around him become better and better as time went on. Zuko had made it his first priority to make the lives of the common people easier by creating a national health security system and regulating the weekly rates, among many other socialist reforms. It quickly earned him the approval of the people, which he badly needed against the legion of Ozai loyalists that were ready to behead him at the first opportunity. The Kyoshi warriors were following him everywhere as personal bodyguards, and even when he was in the forest pavilion that only them knew about, there were a handful of soldiers constantly patrolling the woods just in case.</p>
<p class="p1">Sokka and Zuko ate while chatting about the old days, reminiscing of the past, missing their friends dearly. After dinner, Zuko went around the table and lay down on the tatami floor, his head resting on Sokka's lap.</p>
<p class="p1">"Hey," he said, voice shifting to deeper tones, "Remember what we said last night? About trying to be more gentle?"</p>
<p class="p1">Sokka gulped down, blushing from ear to ear. "... Yeah. I remember."</p>
<p class="p1">Zuko's eyes sparkled. "Wanna do it?"</p>
<p class="p1">"... Sure."</p>
<p class="p1">They went to the bedroom, now free of its broken bed, a mattress lying directly on the floor instead. Zuko let himself fall onto it with the grace of a turtlewhale, and made grabby hands toward Sokka. The Water Tribe man lay next to him, not sure of how to initiate things. It felt weird, now that they were doing it without the adrenaline of the previous nights.</p>
<p class="p1">Zuko turned to him, smiling. "So, what should we do first?"</p>
<p class="p1">Sokka choked on his own saliva. "Uhh, undress? I guess?"</p>
<p class="p1">Zuko chuckled. "Sure! But can I get a kiss first?"</p>
<p class="p1">Sokka stuttered, but before he could say anything and show how his voice would waver, Zuko gently pulled his face closer and sealed their lips together. The kiss was soft and patient, nothing like the tense energy of the first night, nothing like the devouring hunger of the second night. They had time, and Zuko was telling Sokka to relax.</p>
<p class="p1">Their hands tangled together and their bodies pressed gently against each other, as if they were teenagers, as if it was their first time. Sokka ventured fingers on Zuko's cheeks, his right thumb sliding just below the scar.</p>
<p class="p1">"You can touch it," Zuko said after their lips parted, reading his friend's mind. "It doesn't hurt anymore."</p>
<p class="p1">So Sokka touched it, sliding his index carefully over the outline of the burn, feeling the dryness and the lumps, and before he knew it, he had left a small kiss on Zuko's scarred eyelid. He blinked away, not sure if it was a weird thing to do, or if it was awkward, or if it was straight up rude, and didn't notice the shift in Zuko's eyes until he was on his back, pressed down against the mattress with a tight grip in his hair and hungry lips devouring his neck.</p>
<p class="p1">"Fuck you and your tenderness, Sokka," Zuko whimpered against his skin, grinding his hardness against his friend's thigh.</p>
<p class="p1">Sokka bent his neck and saw that he was grinning, all shiny teeth out. "Fuck you and your pretty smile, Jerkbender," he said, grinning as well, and flipped them over.</p>
<p class="p1">"Oh yeah, please fuck me with that thick ass dick of yours, yeah," Zuko said against his lips, full on laughing now.</p>
<p class="p1">Sokka rolled his eyes, grumbling just for show, thick ass dick of his stirring up in his pants. Was it finally time to undress? Yeah, it felt like the right time.</p>
<p class="p1">Zuko watched him untie his tunic and remove it, eyes glued to his gorgeous pecs, trailing down to his stomach hair and following the hands that were getting rid of his pants. Would his mouth ever stop watering each time he would see Sokka's dick? Nah, probably not.</p>
<p class="p1">Sokka did a quick job of untying his kimono and throwing it across the room, and Zuko led his hands to pull his underwear down, finally getting them both completely naked.</p>
<p class="p1">There was a brief moment where Sokka's courage entirely left him, realizing how he was now on his own, without any of Ren's helpful guidance to lead him anymore.</p>
<p class="p1">Zuko made grabby hands toward him and pulled him forward, circling his warm arms around his shoulders.</p>
<p class="p1">“You’ve never done this with other men before, have you?” he asked gently, their foreheads resting against each other’s.</p>
<p class="p1">“No. Of course not,” Sokka admitted. He wasn’t ashamed, but he felt a little lost.</p>
<p class="p1">Zuko stretched his arms above his head, curving his back forward. “Then do what you want with me. Have your way! Test things out!” he smirked, wiggling his hips.</p>
<p class="p1">Sokka blushed, still not used to any of this. “Shameless!” he blurted. “Why—how—when did you get so confident? Zuko—oh spirits!” he blabbered, watching the Fire Lord part his legs one on each side of his hips, spreading his knees wide open.</p>
<p class="p1">“I don’t know, I just feel good being like that with you?” Zuko said, and it was both playful and sincere. “I like it when you look at me that way.”</p>
<p class="p1">Sokka bent down, hiding his burning face against his friend’s chest. “What way?” he grumbled, not wanting to let Zuko shut up ever, thank you very much.</p>
<p class="p1">The Fire Lord cupped his cheeks and made him lift his face up. “I don’t know, like I'm some sort of treasure? That makes me feel <em>pretty</em>,” he said with a wink, blush spreading on his cheeks at his own words, and Sokka immediately recognized Ren’s idiot grin on his face.</p>
<p class="p1"><em>They really spend too much time together</em>, he thought, and then engulfed Zuko’s lips, tangling their tongues together.</p>
<p class="p1">"If I look like that to you then you have no idea what you look like to me," Sokka said after the kiss, out of breath.</p>
<p class="p1">"Oh? And what do I look like, then?"</p>
<p class="p1">"Like you want to <em>eat me alive,</em>" Sokka groaned, voice eager.</p>
<p class="p1">Zuko smirked like a tigerhyena. "Great, then, because I <em>do</em> want to eat you out," he said, and flipped him on his back again.</p>
<p class="p1">Sokka moaned, his legs reflexively parting. Zuko left a trail of kisses down his chest, hands sliding all over him and grabbing every softness they could find. Sokka could feel the beautiful hair of the Fire Lord sliding against his skin, his hot breath getting closer and closer to his cock, and let a sigh of relief when he felt Zuko hook both of his legs over his shoulders.</p>
<p class="p1">"Good?" Zuko checked, tilting his head.</p>
<p class="p1">"Good," Sokka nodded, then watched his friend dive between his thighs, tongue sliding over his balls and down his ass. He immediately thought that he was glad he had showered just before coming, and then shoved that thought away and let go, enjoying the intimate touch instead of overthinking everything like he would always do. Zuko looked like he was in heaven, and Sokka intended to let himself enjoy it at least as much.</p>
<p class="p1">It felt good, very much so, although a little embarrassing. If it had been six months earlier, Sokka would have yelped at the idea of anything coming close to his ass. But after watching Zuko enjoy it so much, the idea had progressively become much more enticing. And Zuko was currently delivering a delightful demonstration, fingers and tongue gently rubbing around and over his rim, patiently massaging it until it relaxed.</p>
<p class="p1">Sokka readjusted his hips, knees closer to his chest, hands reaching for Zuko's hair. He closed his eyes, focusing on the feeling of warm breath blowing over his most delicate parts, silky hair brushing against his thighs, wet mouth kissing him tenderly where everything felt good and sensitive.</p>
<p class="p1">And then it suddenly hit him. That he wanted—that he <em>needed</em> to have all of this <em>on his face</em>. Right now!</p>
<p class="p1">"Zuko—ah, Zuko," he called, his voice much more affected than he expected.</p>
<p class="p1">His friend lifted his face, chin wet with spit, eyes questioning.</p>
<p class="p1">"Turn around," Sokka said breathlessly, "Sit on my face—I need you, I need you on my face," he blurted, blushing at his own words.</p>
<p class="p1">He was glad that Zuko just went with the flow instead of laughing at him. He felt vulnerable, and just wanted to forget all of reality and bury his face in the most beautiful ass the universe had ever created.</p>
<p class="p1">The position forced him to bend completely in half, Zuko's grip on his hips as strong as steel. He didn't really now what to do, but the good thing about rimming was that it was supposed to be messy anyway. He let out a loud muffled moan when Zuko finally got his tongue inside, his cock twitching in response.</p>
<p class="p1"><em>Fuck, oh fuck, this feels so good,</em> Sokka thought, his tongue shoved as deep as he could between Zuko's ass cheeks. If they carried on, he would come very soon and oh—shit, Zuko wanted to get fucked!</p>
<p class="p1">"Zuko!" Sokka moaned, pulling his head back, gasping for air. "Zuko, ah... Stop, stop, please!" he tried to say gently, not to make his friend worry, but his voice sounded like a whine.</p>
<p class="p1">Zuko immediately pulled back, lifting himself off his face, and Sokka <em>actually</em> felt like crying a little at the loss.</p>
<p class="p1">"What?" The Fire Lord scrambled around, worried.</p>
<p class="p1">Sokka cupped his face, pulling him closer. "No, it's nothing—it's just... you wanted me to fuck you, right?"</p>
<p class="p1">Zuko snorted, smiling. "Oh Agni, you scared me!" he said, kissing Sokka's forehead, before getting up and reaching for the bottle of oil on the bedside table.</p>
<p class="p1">Sokka sat up, watching Zuko move around and then come back and settle directly on his lap. His heart melted a little. "Can I kiss you?" he asked, just because his mouth had been down there less than a minute before.</p>
<p class="p1">"Sure," Zuko said, eyes twinkling. So they kissed, again and again and again, and then Zuko asked, looking down at the bottle, "Do you wanna do it yourself?"</p>
<p class="p1">Sokka gulped down. "... Yeah."</p>
<p class="p1">They lay once again on the mattress, on their sides, facing each other. Zuko hooked his leg over Sokka's hip and thankfully guided him, showing how much oil to use and how to warm it up.</p>
<p class="p1">"And then you just, you know, go in," he whispered, unable to stop the rolling of his hips against Sokka's, hunger slowly getting unbearable.</p>
<p class="p1">Sokka pulled him closer, reaching from behind, sliding his fingers between his cheeks. A chill ran down his spine once he heard Zuko moan, vulnerability at its peek. Was it right? Was it right to do that without Ren? Was he really allowed? If Zuko said yes, then probably, yeah, but there was this constant feeling of guilt expanding in Sokka's heart.</p>
<p class="p1">"Fuck, oh Sokka, yes!" Zuko mouthed against his neck, rolling his eyes in pleasure. "Just there, just there! Just a little more!"</p>
<p class="p1">"There?"</p>
<p class="p1">"Ah! Yes! Agni! Oh yeah!"</p>
<p class="p1">Their lips clashed again, because it felt right, because it felt like they were meant to. Zuko shivered, his skin burning hot against Sokka's body, their legs tangled, chests pressed together until there was no space left separating them.</p>
<p class="p1">Sokka had no idea what he was doing, but apparently he was doing good enough and soon Zuko was all open and pliant around his fingers, happy to push him against the mattress and slide himself on his cock.</p>
<p class="p1">Sokka let out a moan from deep within his chest, so much louder than he expected, mind hazy with lust. He couldn't decide if he wanted to close his eyes and focus on the scorching heat bouncing on his cock, savoring every instant like it was the last, or if he wanted to keep watching Zuko for the rest of his life, the gorgeous man's skin all flushed, nipples perking out, long hair snaking over his sweaty shoulders.</p>
<p class="p1"><em>Beautiful</em>.</p>
<p class="p1">"Am I?" Zuko grinned from ear to ear, rolling his hips back and forth.</p>
<p class="p1">Sokka realized he had thought aloud.</p>
<p class="p1">"Oh yeah, you are," he said, voice rumbling, and then flipped them over.</p>
<p class="p1">Zuko shouted, pushing his head back, his friend's thick cock hitting deeper with the new position. Sokka wanted to devour his neck, wanted to leave traces all over him, wanted to mark him for Ren to see. It was a really, really bad idea, yeah, but the thought was so enticing Sokka couldn't resist and bit down. Hard. And Zuko came with it, clenching around him with so much force Sokka couldn't help but yelp, his hips stuttering and his vision going white without any warning.</p>
<p class="p1">They collapsed on each other, sweaty and sticky and gross. Zuko wouldn't stop kissing Sokka, wouldn't stop running his hands all over his back, wouldn't stop grabbing anything and everything he could find, like he wouldn't never get tired of it.</p>
<p class="p1">It took them a few minutes to come down from their high, finally parting. Sokka immediately felt bad.</p>
<p class="p1">"Sorry, shit—sorry I came inside."</p>
<p class="p1">Zuko shrugged. "I don't care. Ren does it all the time."</p>
<p class="p1">That shouldn't have made Sokka blush, not after all of this, but it still did. Zuko stood up and went to the bathroom to clean himself up. Sokka followed him like a puppy, because he felt so sticky he wanted to rip his skin out.</p>
<p class="p1">“Oh fuck, Sokka, you bit me so hard,” Zuko chuckled, looking at himself in the mirror, rubbing the red spot on his neck.</p>
<p class="p1">Sokka wasn't sorry in the least.</p>
<p class="p1">"You seemed like you liked it," he said next to Zuko's ear, wrapping his arms around him.</p>
<p class="p1">Zuko laughed. "Oh yeah, I did. I guess I might have a thing for pain," he admitted, "Nothing too intense, though."</p>
<p class="p1">Sokka smirked. "Noted."</p>
<p class="p1">They went back to the bed, snuggling against each other, Zuko wrapping Sokka's big arms around himself like a blanket.</p>
<p class="p1">A cosy silence settled in, only broken when Sokka chuckled against the back of Zuko's neck. “Ahh, I still can't believe we're doing this.”</p>
<p class="p1">Zuko snorted. "Why is it so hard to believe?"</p>
<p class="p1">"I don't know? It just—it feels surreal. That I get to have this sort of intimacy. With anyone. I feel as if I'm not allowed to? I can't help feelingashamed about this."</p>
<p class="p1">"About sex?"</p>
<p class="p1">Sokka nodded against his neck, humming.</p>
<p class="p1">"Oh, yeah, I get what you mean," Zuko said.</p>
<p class="p1">Sokka raised his eyebrows. "Do you?"</p>
<p class="p1">Zuko turned around, facing Sokka. “Yeah. I used to be so ashamed of asking for things, you know, I wouldn’t even say one word during sex. I can’t believe Ren put up with it for years.”</p>
<p class="p1">Sokka raised his eyebrows, listening.</p>
<p class="p1">Zuko bit his lip, thinking. “It was like... as if I didn’t have the right to ask? As if it was already so unbelievable that I already had sex with him that I wasn’t allowed to ask for more?”</p>
<p class="p1"><em>Yeah, that's exactly the feeling,</em> Sokka thought.</p>
<p class="p1">“What made you change your mind?” he asked.</p>
<p class="p1">“When I lost him. The several times I lost him. The first time it was nobody’s fault, but I was entirely guilty of the second time. And I felt like utter trash, realizing how hard I fucked up. I swore to myself that if I could find him again, I would never ever hide anything from him anymore. And then, because it’s Ren and he’s <em>that</em> perfect, you know, he found me again, somehow.”</p>
<p class="p1">“At the Western Air Temple?”</p>
<p class="p1">Zuko nodded, a smile on his lips. “Yeah.”</p>
<p class="p1">Sokka’s chest filled up with joy as well, thinking of this memory. “Oh, I remember that day. I was so happy for him. And I still can’t believe I cheered him up on <em>your</em> behalf!”</p>
<p class="p1">Zuko squirmed, pushing his face on the pillow in embarrassment. “And I’m glad you did. I’m so glad you did. He told me he probably wouldn’t have had the strength to look for me if you hadn’t made him believe he could find me again.”</p>
<p class="p1">Sokka blinked. “Did he?”</p>
<p class="p1">“Yeah. You... you sort of saved our couple, ahah.”</p>
<p class="p1">“But then you screwed up again and dumped him for a year,” Sokka fake scolded, but hit too close to home and Zuko’s smile dropped.</p>
<p class="p1">“That’s so low,” he grumbled, shoving his friend’s shoulder.</p>
<p class="p1">Sokka rolled his eyes. “As if he hasn’t told me at least a hundred times since then that you’re the love of his life! Come on, get over it, you’ve made stupid decisions, but that’s in the past.”</p>
<p class="p1">Zuko only heard the first half of what Sokka said. “Did he tell you that?” he asked, heart racing in his chest.</p>
<p class="p1">Sokka rolled his eyes even harder. “I can count on ONE HAND the number of days he <em>hasn’t</em> told me that!” he exaggerated, just because his friend’s reaction was too much fun.</p>
<p class="p1">Zuko sighed, smiling softly. He looked so in love it almost hurt.</p>
<p class="p1">“What, did you not know that?” Sokka asked, raising an eyebrow.</p>
<p class="p1">“I did. But it’s different knowing that he says it to other people. It’s not nothing, you know.”</p>
<p class="p1">Sokka snorted. “He told it at least to Suki, me and his friend at the theater—oh and Toph as well, as far as I know.”</p>
<p class="p1">Zuko looked up. “Did you meet his friend? The theater one?”</p>
<p class="p1">“Yep, once. She’s crazy pretty! Apparently she’s becoming some kind of celebrity lately, she’s all the craze of the merchant district!”</p>
<p class="p1">Zuko’s eyes opened wide. “... Wow. He never told me much about her.”</p>
<p class="p1">Sokka shrugged. “It’s not like he can introduce her to you, really. She would instantly recognize you.”</p>
<p class="p1">Zuko rolled on his back, sighing. “Yeah. Sometimes I wish I wasn’t anyone.”</p>
<p class="p1">Sokka held him closer, resting his head on his chest. “Yeah. I think we all do. Ren’s lucky he managed to do that.”</p>
<p class="p1">Zuko laced his fingers in Sokka’s hair. “I get it now. I get why he wanted us to stay a secret. I don’t know why I couldn’t understand before, it makes so much sense.”</p>
<p class="p1">Sokka lifted his face up. “But isn’t it part of the thrill? To stay a secret?”</p>
<p class="p1">Zuko sighed. "Sure. But we've only had one date so far, and I wouldn't mind having more, if you know what I mean."</p>
<p class="p1">Sokka snorted, putting his head back on his friend's chest again. "Well, why don't you marry him then?"</p>
<p class="p1">A long pause followed.</p>
<p class="p1">"... I—nevermind, let's sleep," Zuko said, his voice suddenly coarse. He blew off the candles and rolled on his side, away from Sokka.</p>
<p class="p1">
  <em>I shouldn't have said that.</em>
</p>
<p class="p1">Sokka didn't sleep much that night, and woke up long before sunrise. He watched the grey colors of dawn wash over the room, slowly sharpening the beautiful shape of Zuko sleeping. His fingers moved on their own, tangling in the Fire Lord's long hair, braiding intricate patterns until he rose with the sun.</p>
<p class="p1">"Hi," Zuko said with a soft smile when he turned around, eyes puffy with sleep.</p>
<p class="p1">"Hi," Sokka smiled back.</p>
<p class="p1">Neither of them wanted to leave the cosy bubble of tenderness that they had created, but alas, the real world was waiting for them.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Am I getting tired of writing smut? No, my friend, absolutely not :) leave me a comment if you want to brighten my day &lt;3</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0018"><h2>18. Chapter 18</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p class="p1">Katara and Toph arrived at noon in the palace, and Zuko held a small banquet to welcome them to the Fire Nation. Katara was staying just for one night, a ship for the South Pole leaving the next day at dawn, and Toph had decided that she was going to see where the wind would lead her. In other words, she would stay indefinitely, but Zuko wasn't complaining. She immediately offered to become her official lie detector, assisting him in his meetings, and Zuko gladly accepted, not unhappy to have another friend by his side in the sea of corrupted old men in the court. Toph seemed like she had grown up quite a lot, and her witty sense of humor had only bettered with age.</p>
<p class="p1">"Where is Twinkletoes Number Two? I miss <em>not seeing</em> his face," she said after eating her third okonomiyaki. Katara and Sokka had already given up on eating all the food in their plate.</p>
<p class="p1">"You mean Ren?" Sokka asked. "He doesn't come to the palace, he chose to get a normal life instead."</p>
<p class="p1">"Oh? So he never comes here?" Katara asked, tilting her head.</p>
<p class="p1">"Yes," Zuko said, lowering his voice, "and let's have this conversation another day somewhere else, shall we?"</p>
<p class="p1">Katara raised her eyebrows. "O-okay?"</p>
<p class="p1">Zuko stood up, stretching his back. "Want a tour of the palace?" he asked Toph, "You'll live in the guest chambers until we set up a pavilion for you."</p>
<p class="p1">His friend grinned from ear to ear. "Hell yeah! Castle life, here I come!"</p>
<p class="p1">Zuko turned away, and that's when Katara noticed the braid in his hair. He had it set in a high topknot and didn't brush the braid off before tying it up. She squinted so hard her eyes stung. Sokka saw her face go through all the different stages of confusion and only then realized what she had seen. He very loudly hit his own face with his palm, clap resonating in the entire room. Everybody looked at him, startled.</p>
<p class="p1">Katara laughed uncomfortably, saying "Ahahaha don't mind my brother, he's just like that sometimes!" as if they didn't all know him already. She then pulled him by the elbow until they were alone in a corridor.</p>
<p class="p1">"What in the spirit world, Sokka?!" she yell-whispered, "What did you do?!"</p>
<p class="p1">"Katara! Okay, please—I can explain!"</p>
<p class="p1">"Explain what?! That you made Ren and Zuko break up? What?! Why?! I can't believe you could ever do such a thing!"</p>
<p class="p1">Sokka wanted to rip his hair out. "No! Katara! Please, shh—listen to me! I didn't make them break up!"</p>
<p class="p1">"You braided Zuko's hair?! Only you could braid his hair that way! Why? Sokka, why?!"</p>
<p class="p1">"Katara! Please!" Sokka pleaded, "Let me speak!"</p>
<p class="p1">His sister crossed her arms over her chest, fuming. "Okay. I'm listening. Explain," she said, but before he could say anything, she added, "If you hurt Ren in any way, I'm never forgiving you!"</p>
<p class="p1">Sokka facepalmed a second time. "I didn't hurt him in any way, shape or form, so can you please just listen to me for a second?"</p>
<p class="p1">Katara exhaled impatiently, but she finally kept silent for more than a second. And that's when Sokka realized he was going to have a hell of a time explaining to her how he was sort of involved with both of them at the same time.</p>
<p class="p1">"That's the stupidest idea you've ever had, Sokka."</p>
<p class="p1">Katara's verdict was drastic. He had to stop meddling with them, for both their well-being and his own.</p>
<p class="p1">He walked away, leaving his sister and his friend to the tour of the palace, his feet leading him somewhere he hoped he could forget the conversation he had just had. But apparently, his brain had short-circuited and he found himself standing in front of Ren's shop half an hour later.</p>
<p class="p1">He was about to turn around when he heard a light voice say, "Oh! It's you again!"</p>
<p class="p1">There was a tiny woman with ebony hair waving at him, trotting toward the shop, her other arm carrying several bolts of colorful fabric.</p>
<p class="p1">"You're Ren's friend, Sokka, right? Nice to see you again!"</p>
<p class="p1">Sokka blinked several times, still stunned.</p>
<p class="p1">"Kaguya?" Ren called, sticking his head out the window. "Oh! Hi Sokka!"</p>
<p class="p1">"... Hi," Sokka mumbled, then got pulled by the arm inside.</p>
<p class="p1">Ren was sitting surrounded by a nest of fabric, his hair in a loose braid that was about to fall off.</p>
<p class="p1">"Did you make a lot of progress?" Kaguya asked, bending forward to look at his work.</p>
<p class="p1">"Is it what you wanted?" he showed her his embroidery hoop.</p>
<p class="p1">His friend gasped. "It is! It's perfect!"</p>
<p class="p1">Ren smiled to her with fondness, and Sokka's heart melted inside. Kaguya then left to make tea, visibly used to move around the shop as if it was her own house. Sokka was glad Ren had someone to count on like that.</p>
<p class="p1">"My boss is on vacation so she's helping me," Ren said.</p>
<p class="p1">"Did you even sleep?" Sokka asked, seeing the dark circles under his friend's eyes.</p>
<p class="p1">"Not enough. But it's fine, it's just this time. I can't pass up this order," Ren reassured him. "And you?" he asked with a small smirk.</p>
<p class="p1">Sokka immediately blushed from ear to ear. "... Didn't sleep enough either," he admitted, "Too much worry about Katara and Toph."</p>
<p class="p1">"Ah, they haven't arrive yet?"</p>
<p class="p1">Sokka mentally shook himself awake. "Oh, they did! Sorry, I'm completely out of it. They arrived at noon, we've had lunch with Zu—Jerkbender, I think he's showing them around, now."</p>
<p class="p1">Ren tilted his head. "Is something wrong? You sound really out of it."</p>
<p class="p1">"Yeah, no, I, uh—yeah, I'm tired I guess," Sokka lied, concealing the storm of feelings destroying his mind.</p>
<p class="p1">
  <em>I have to end things here, now, I have to tell him and leave, I have to put an end to all of this, I have to—</em>
</p>
<p class="p1">"Here, have some tea!" Kaguya gave him a warm cup filled with spicy tea, perfect for winter and therefore completely out of season. It reminded Sokka of the snow, and the long nights full of stars, two things he hadn't seen in only half a year and yet he suddenly missed them dearly.</p>
<p class="p1">"Oh dear, your hair is a mess!" Kaguya laughed when she turned around and looked at Ren, who was scratching his head between stitches.</p>
<p class="p1">"Can you tie it up for me?" he asked, making puppy eyes.</p>
<p class="p1">She nodded happily. "What style?"</p>
<p class="p1">"The butterfly thing you did last week? It was so pretty. There's padding in this basket over there if you need some."</p>
<p class="p1">And Kaguya worked her magic, styling his long hair into a voluminous bun parted into two wing-like shapes, framing his face beautifully and making him look like a goddess.</p>
<p class="p1">Sokka finally looked up from his teacup and felt like crying when he saw him. "Do you have a pen and paper?" he asked instead, voice definitely not wavering.</p>
<p class="p1">Kaguya brought him some, and a small tea table to draw on. She and Ren then continued chatting about all the stories she had of the people working at the theater.</p>
<p class="p1">"Are you drawing me?" Ren asked after a while, noticing how Sokka kept glancing back and forth between him and the paper.</p>
<p class="p1">"Yeah. Is that okay?" Sokka felt like he would completely break down if Ren said 'no'.</p>
<p class="p1">Instead, his friend beamed. "Oh yeah, sure! Draw me like one of your Southern Tribe girls!" he said, grinning widely.</p>
<p class="p1"><em>'The Girl with the Embroidery Hoop'</em> was the only drawing Sokka left behind him when he stepped onto the ship leaving for the South Pole that night.</p>
<p class="p1">It was not signed.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Sorry for the angst!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0019"><h2>19. Chapter 19</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p class="p1">"... He didn't tell me anything," Ren said with a pout, feeling his tears rising. He was wrapped in Zuko's blanket, sitting in the middle of his bed in the palace.</p><p class="p1">Zuko sighed. "I think it was a last minute decision. He looked like he really needed to go home, all of a sudden."</p><p class="p1">"What did you talk about yesterday? Did he seem strange this morning?"</p><p class="p1">"No, nothing unusual until lunch, and then he spent the afternoon with you. I don't understand either, I really don't."</p><p class="p1">Ren leaned forward, resting his forehead against Zuko's chest. "... Do you think we have ruined everything?"</p><p class="p1">Zuko wrapped his arms around him, kissing his hair. "... I don't know. We won't know until he comes back, hopefully in a month or two, maybe?"</p><p class="p1">Ren looked up. "But you know that he won't come back, don't you?" His voice broke.</p><p class="p1">Zuko kissed him, because he didn't know what else to do, or what else to say. How do you repair someone else's heart, when yours is broken into the same amount of pieces?</p><p class="p1">They stayed for a long time cuddling in silence, listening to each other's heartbeat, low hum of their breathing soothing their wound a little. Zuko tangled his fingers into his lover's soft hair, combing it gently.</p><p class="p1">"This reminds me," he said, breaking the silence and trying to use a lighter tone, "I have something for you."</p><p class="p1">He got up and brought a small present wrapped in beautiful silk to Ren.</p><p class="p1">"Agni, Zuko! It's so gorgeous!" Ren gasped once he opened it, his eyes sparkling. "But why a hairpin?"</p><p class="p1">"Sokka told me you tie your hair up sometimes," Zuko replied, a loving smile on his lips.</p><p class="p1">Ren had never had the chance nor the courage to show Zuko the way he dressed everyday. He knew Zuko would probably shower him in compliments, but deep down he was afraid he just looked ridiculous. So he would always wear his hair down when he was seeing his lover, either let it loose or tie it in his usual braid.</p><p class="p1">Ren ran his finger along the pin, circling over the red stone decorating its top.</p><p class="p1">"I'll never get the occasion to wear it," he said softly. "It's too pretty."</p><p class="p1">Zuko took his hand and kissed it. "You're too pretty everyday already, why would you need a special occasion?"</p><p class="p1">Ren's heart skipped a beat. "Oh you! Stop that!"</p><p class="p1">Zuko smiled widely. "Never!" and then pulled him into a tight hug, pushing him with his weight onto the mattress.</p><p class="p1">Ren came back to the merchant district a little after midnight, holding the present close to his heart. Two streets before he arrived, someone caught his arm, almost startling him.</p><p class="p1">"Agni! What are you doing in the middle of the night here! The crow murderer might catch you!" he heard a familiar voice say.</p><p class="p1">"Kaguya?"</p><p class="p1">"Ren!"</p><p class="p1">He sighed in relief. "What are <em>you</em> doing here? It's dangerous for you as well!"</p><p class="p1">"Come in, come in," Kaguya didn't give him any option and pulled him to her home. "I won't let you out in the night like this. Sleep here tonight!"</p><p class="p1">"O-okay," Ren stuttered, blinking.</p><p class="p1">She immediately started making tea while she told Ren to set up a futon in the living room.</p><p class="p1">"You know, I could go home, it's okay," Ren tried to say once they were sitting at the table.</p><p class="p1">"Are you out of your mind? It's dangerous out there! Have you not read the papers?" Kaguya said, sincerely worried.</p><p class="p1">Ren sighed. "Not really. What is it about that crow murderer? Don't they just kill crows?"</p><p class="p1">Kaguya gasped. "No! Not at all! Oh Agni you really know nothing? They attack people, and they wear a crow mask! Their victims all died an horrible death, you really don't want them to find you!"</p><p class="p1">Ren gulped down. "Oh."</p><p class="p1">"And it's a good reason to throw a sleepover, don't you think?" Kaguya said with a wink.</p><p class="p1">Ren chuckled. "We could have one without any special reason, you know!"</p><p class="p1">"I know, I know, but where is the fun in planning things?" she chuckled as well.</p><p class="p1">They drank their tea and then Kaguya decided to bring her futon to the living room so that she would sleep side by side with Ren. She helped him brush his hair and lent him some night clothes.</p><p class="p1">"What's that?" she asked when she saw the silk wrap next to his neatly folded clothes.</p><p class="p1">"My boyfriend gave this to me tonight." He held the present Zuko had given him, delicately uncovering it.</p><p class="p1">"Oh Agni, I have never seen something that beautiful before!" Kaguya gasped, fingers hovering above the hairpin. "Your boyfriend must really love you!"</p><p class="p1">Ren blushed. "I-I'm really lucky to have him."</p><p class="p1">"And he's really lucky to have you!" Kaguya pouted cutely. "Oh Agni, where did you find such a wealthy boy?"</p><p class="p1">"Uuuuuh, he's my childhood friend," Ren said, realizing that he should quickly change topics before it got too late.</p><p class="p1">"You went to school together?"</p><p class="p1">"Uh, sort of, yeah."</p><p class="p1">"Ahh, I wish I went to school," Kaguya sighed.</p><p class="p1">Ren raised his eyebrows. "You didn't?"</p><p class="p1">"No, my mum didn't have the money. She... she worked in a... you know, a bad place. Where a kid shouldn't be. But it's all I had to grow up in."</p><p class="p1">"Do you mean a brothel?" Ren blinked a few times.</p><p class="p1">Kaguya sighed once more. "Yeah, that. She hid me in the cupboards when she was working." Before she could say anything else, she felt cold arms wrap around her tightly. "... Ren?"</p><p class="p1">"I think you need a hug. Or several thousands of them."</p><p class="p1">She chuckled, returning the hug. "It's fine now. I have a wonderful job and I'm paying for myself. No need for a rich man who won't approve of my background check."</p><p class="p1">"Being dependable on someone sucks, anyway," Ren said, snorting. "You never know when they'll leave you."</p><p class="p1">"And girls are better anyway," Kaguya said with a smile against his shoulder.</p><p class="p1">"I beg to disagree but that's on me," Ren smiled as well.</p><p class="p1">They ended up spending the night tangled together, Ren's cold feet tickling Kaguya's toes.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I'm on a roll!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0020"><h2>20. Chapter 20</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p class="p1">Zuko sat on his throne, sighing deeply, pressing fingers to his forehead, trying to soothe his headache.</p><p class="p1">"What's the matter, Lord Sifu Hotman?" Toph asked, munching on peanuts.</p><p class="p1">"Nothing. The old farts are bothering me about marriage again."</p><p class="p1">Toph raised an eyebrow. "Oh? And is that a problem?"</p><p class="p1">"I mean they've got a point, I need to get an heir, and uhm, you know why that's a problem."</p><p class="p1">"Oh." She crunched another peanut loudly.</p><p class="p1">"And I'm already twenty-four so I don't have much time left before I really have to make a decision."</p><p class="p1">"Sounds like something I can't do anything about."</p><p class="p1">Zuko sighed again. "Yeah."</p><p class="p1">Sometimes he wished he still had Sokka by his side. But Sokka had never come back. He had send letters, mainly apologizing and saying that his dad really needed him in the South Pole, and Zuko had wondered if Toph's lie detector would work on paper, but of course it wouldn't.</p><p class="p1">Three years had passed, and Zuko's life looked roughly the same as before, as if Sokka had never been there.</p><p class="p1">"Hey Ren," Zuko said, lying on his back after they had made love.</p><p class="p1">"Mmh?" Ren was sitting on the bed naked, combing his long hair.</p><p class="p1">Zuko took a deep breath. "I'll have to get married soon," he said, finally dropping the bomb.</p><p class="p1">Ren didn't react at all. "Yeah? Who's the lucky one?"</p><p class="p1">Zuko blinked, astonished. "I—I don't know, the councilors would have to find suitors and organize the whole courting process and stuff... but I wish it was you, though."</p><p class="p1">Ren rolled his eyes. "You know it can't be me, right? It's not like we can make babies together, and I wouldn't want to carry them anyway."</p><p class="p1">"Are you fine with that? That I have to marry a woman and have sex with her?"</p><p class="p1">Ren started braiding his hair. "It's not like we have a choice. You need an heir. I can't give that to you. It has to be someone else."</p><p class="p1">Zuko buried his head deeper into the pillow. He didn't know what to say. He felt so frustrated by the whole situation.</p><p class="p1">"I do care," Ren said. "I don't want you to end up with a nasty bitch, but you still have to pick some woman and marry her. I've thought about it for a long time and I tried to come up with a solution, but I really can't do anything about it."</p><p class="p1">Zuko sighed, taking his hand and intertwining their fingers together. "I wish I wasn't anyone. I wish I could just eat with you every day and sleep with you every night and not think about having children ever."</p><p class="p1">He watched Ren dress up, feeling of helplessness drowning him inside.</p><p class="p1">"It's something that you can't avoid, so you might as well get it done as soon as possible, don't you think?" Ren said after he got dressed, leaving a last peck on Zuko's lips before jumping through the ceiling trap.</p><p class="p1">
  <em>Yeah. Might as well get it done.</em>
</p><p class="p1">During the following months, the councilors carefully selected three suitors, doing entire background checks before suggesting them to the Fire Lord. He agreed to meet all three of them without even glancing at the documents, too busy working on a new law.</p><p class="p1">It was nearing the end of autumn, and the city was burning with red and yellow leaves, cold wind crawling everywhere. The day had come where the three suitors would be introduced to the Fire Lord. Then they would be invited to the winter banquet and introduced to the people by showcasing their talents, and then he would have to pick one and marry her a few months later. Zuko was following the old procedure, because making changes to it would require work and he really didn't want to think about it. It also appeased the old conservative Ozai loyalists, seeing that for once, the son wasn't going to go against them.</p><p class="p1">The first suitor arrived, surrounded by the councilors, and Toph was already bored <em>not watching</em> the meeting.</p><p class="p1">"This is the daughter of the former governor of New Ozai, Ukano," one of the councilor introduced her, as if Ukano himself wasn't just standing by his side, since he had become a councilor a couple years earlier.</p><p class="p1">They removed the veil covering the lady's face. It was Mai, as expected.</p><p class="p1">She sat down, her usual stern look on her face. "Hi Zuko," she said, and the councilors gasped at the familiarity, but the Fire Lord just snorted.</p><p class="p1">"Hey Mai, how's it going?"</p><p class="p1">"Everything is as boring as ever, what else?"</p><p class="p1">Her dad wanted to disintegrate.</p><p class="p1">The second suitor arrived, and it was a beautiful tall woman with long ebony hair named Himiko.</p><p class="p1">"It is an honor, your Highness," she said after he greeted her, articulating every syllable very clearly.</p><p class="p1">She had manners and a way of speaking that reeked of aristocracy, although Zuko didn't remember seeing her anywhere before. Toph squinted, not detecting any lies but her gut feeling was that she definitely wasn't someone one could trust. She'd have to tell Zuko about that.</p><p class="p1">"The last suitor we have selected for you, my Lord, is a beauty that became famous through the whole city after her portrait had been found and showcased in the museum's art gallery. She is known as 'The Girl with the Embroidery Hoop'."</p><p class="p1">Zuko raised his eyebrow. "Who's the artist?" Of course he hadn't had the time to visit the gallery, so he had no idea what to expect.</p><p class="p1">"It has stayed a mystery. It is a shame, really, but the picture was not signed," the councilor said, pained.</p><p class="p1">The lady hidden behind the veil let out the smallest chuckle before taking a deep breath and calming herself down. Toph sat up, about to say something, but then she decided to wait and listen, too amused by the scene.</p><p class="p1">The suitor sat down, posture perfect, and slowly lifted the veil, her pale fingers barely peeking out of her sleeves. She was wearing the most intricate robes Zuko had ever seen, fit for a princess, <em>fit for a queen.</em></p><p class="p1">His jaw dropped when he saw her face. She had painted lips and her hair, as white as the first snow, was tied into a massive topknot, with hairpins and brooches surrounding her perfect face, making her look like the sun.</p><p class="p1">And her eyes, sparkling with mischief, could have swallowed Zuko whole.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I'm soooo happy we reached this part!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0021"><h2>21. Chapter 21</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>cw: smut once they're in the bedroom, as you'd expect!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p class="p1">Keeping a straight face in this situation was probably the hardest thing Ren had ever had to do.</p>
<p class="p1">The councilors had come to look for him a couple of months prior, asking everyone if they knew the beautiful lady with white hair on the picture, making copies of it and sticking them all over the walls of the city. Ren had laughed when he had seen that the only time in his life he had a bounty on his head, it was to marry the Fire Lord.</p>
<p class="p1">They finally found him when he was on delivery, bringing her wedding dress to a young lady in the museum district. Of course, he had refused at first, not planning to marry anytime soon, and certainly not to the Fire Lord. But they kept coming every day to nag him, even rallying Kaguya to their cause. She convinced Ren to at least give it a go, and if he didn't want to marry the Fire Lord that bad, he could just act like a fool and make the Fire Lord pick someone else. Ren had laughed out loud at the idea, finally giving in.</p>
<p class="p1">And that was how he got to sit next to Mai and Himiko that day, with the prettiest outfit he could make in a month and the most intricate hairdo Kaguya could come up with, because even though he wasn't going to get married, he still had two ladies to compete with and was definitely not going to loose on that front.</p>
<p class="p1">"It is my pleasure to meet you, your Highness," he said, his voice tinkling with mischief.</p>
<p class="p1">Toph raised an eyebrow, realizing that she couldn't tell he was lying from her heightened senses. <em>Mmh, interesting.</em></p>
<p class="p1">He bowed down, the hairpin holding his topknot shining in the dim light, its gorgeous red stone sparkling proudly. Himiko, the second suitor, looked at it, her eyes slightly widening.</p>
<p class="p1">Zuko blinked several times, blushing from ear to ear. The councilors glanced at each other, retaining their smiles. "I... Yes, my pleasure as well," he stumbled, utterly stunned. Toph grinned.</p>
<p class="p1">"Lady Ren is the jewel of the merchant district," one of the councilor said, "and has made her dress with her own hands."</p>
<p class="p1">Zuko was speechless.</p>
<p class="p1">"Will it be the talent you'll showcase at the winter banquet?" Himiko asked, trying to make conversation, but her voice was a little too mellow to feel genuinely nice.</p>
<p class="p1">Ren slowly looked at her from head to toe, then gave her soft smile. "Yup, and if I may say so myself, I’m not a bad singer at all!" he said with a cheerful voice. "What are you gonna show?"</p>
<p class="p1">Himiko frowned at his way of speaking, taken by surprise. "Shamisen," she replied, much less eloquent all of a sudden.</p>
<p class="p1">Zuko watched them talk, the scene reminding him of tea ceremony, with the bitterness of matcha opposing the sweetness of candy. The two of them were really nothing alike.</p>
<p class="p1">"And you, over there?" Ren asked, bending forward to look at Mai, past Himiko.</p>
<p class="p1">"Knife throwing," Mai replied, emotionless.</p>
<p class="p1">Ren remembered her name, and knew she used to briefly fake-date Zuko when they were teenagers. He tried to picture the two of them together, and couldn't help but smile. They really were <em>not</em> meant for each other.</p>
<p class="p1">Between them, Himiko was truly horrified by Mai's reply. <em>Knife throwing? Is she crazy?!</em></p>
<p class="p1">Zuko snorted, leaning on his arm rest. "Mai, you're frightening the other suitors."</p>
<p class="p1">She sighed. "Like I care."</p>
<p class="p1">"Of course you don't," he laughed. If Ren was candy and Himiko was matcha, then Mai was rice vinegar, sour but making any meal delicious.</p>
<p class="p1">"Knife throwing sounds cool as hell, though!" Ren said, tone as cheerful as ever. He was making sure to use his best merchant district accent.</p>
<p class="p1">Himiko darted her eyes back to him. Was she the only properly educated person in this room?</p>
<p class="p1">"Heck yeah! I can't wait to <em>not see</em> that!" Toph cheered, stretching from her seat.</p>
<p class="p1">And because Himiko knew all the etiquette rules by heart, she closed her eyes before she rolled them.</p>
<p class="p1">That night, when Ren snuck into Zuko's chamber, the Fire Lord erupted.</p>
<p class="p1">"Oh Agni, Ren! I can't believe—oh fuck, I love you, I love you so much—and I can't, I can't believe how beautiful you were! Did you realize? How stunned I was? It was hours ago and yet I still can't believe my eyes! How could you—<em>how dare you</em> be that beautiful?!"</p>
<p class="p1">Ren bursted out laughing, hearing Zuko's mental breakdown.</p>
<p class="p1">The Fire Lord pulled him into a kiss, muffling his giggles. "Stop laughing at me, it's all your fault!"</p>
<p class="p1">They walked backward toward the bed while undressing each other, not bothering to keep their balance. Ren's stomach was starting to hurt from laughing.</p>
<p class="p1">"Oh Agni, I'm so glad you're not mad at me," he finally said after they had made out for a copious amount of time.</p>
<p class="p1">"Mad at you for what? Pranking all the councilors? That was hilarious. And the look on Toph's face? A piece of art!"</p>
<p class="p1">Ren wiped his tears of laughter. "I swear I didn't plan for any of this, they forced me to attend!"</p>
<p class="p1">"Now that's my proof that I can trust them, as annoying as they are," Zuko chuckled, stealing another kiss, unable to contain his smile. "Do you think you could do your hair like that again?"</p>
<p class="p1">Ren giggled. "I knew you'd ask for that!" He had brought with him all the necessary supplies. He threw one of Zuko's red robes over his naked shoulders and sat at the dressing table.</p>
<p class="p1">Zuko watched him from the bed do his hair with eager interest, amazed by how different he progressively looked.</p>
<p class="p1">"I can't do it as well as Kaguya does yet, but what do you think? Do I look good?" Ren asked as he turned around on the seat, crossing a bare leg over the other, smirking.</p>
<p class="p1">He was so beautiful air stopped existing.</p>
<p class="p1">Brain completely turned to mush, the Fire Lord threw himself on the carpet, kneeling down, eyes glazed. "Fuck me, <em>my queen</em>," he said, his voice like a sob.</p>
<p class="p1">Ren leaned over the arm rest, lifting Zuko's chin with his toes. "Have you forgotten your manners? Ask nicely."</p>
<p class="p1">"... Please," Zuko whispered, kissing his thin ankle. "Ruin me."</p>
<p class="p1">Ren smiled, sliding his leg over his shoulder, pulling him forward. "Put this pretty mouth of yours to good use. And <em>do not</em> stop calling me that."</p>
<p class="p1">Zuko inhaled sharply, closing his eyes. "<em>Yes, my queen</em>." He nuzzled Ren's cock, scenting and licking his whole length before wrapping his lips around the tip, tongue slowly lapping at it.</p>
<p class="p1">"Good boy," Ren praised, biting his lip. He took a fistful of Zuko's hair, holding him firmly in place.</p>
<p class="p1">Zuko whined, lashes fluttering, and pressed forward, hollowing his cheeks, feeling the hold on his hair tighten as he moved. He had never been that turned on in his entire life.</p>
<p class="p1">"Hands off," Ren said, watching Zuko slide his palms up his thighs. "You're not touching yourself until I tell you to. Keep them behind your back."</p>
<p class="p1">"Mmmph," Zuko muffled around his cock.</p>
<p class="p1">Ren raised an eyebrow. "Manners. Don't talk with your mouth full."</p>
<p class="p1">Zuko released his cock, talking with his lips rubbing against the tip. "I said, <em>yes, my queen</em>." His eyes were burning with desire.</p>
<p class="p1">Ren grabbed his hair even tighter and shoved him back on his cock. "Here's the plan: you make me come with just your mouth," he said, looking at Zuko in the eyes, "and I pull out and cover that pretty face of yours with my cum. How does that sound?"</p>
<p class="p1">Zuko moaned loudly, rolling his eyes in pleasure at the idea.</p>
<p class="p1">Ren smirked. "Yeah, I thought so. Now go back to work!"</p>
<p class="p1">Zuko let himself loose track of time, letting go of all his thoughts, all his worries, wishing he could live as his lover's cocksleeve for the rest of eternity, his jaw slack, his face squished between Ren's legs, only hearing his breathing get more and more hectic as time passed.</p>
<p class="p1">"Yes, yes, don't stop, it feels so good! You're so good, like your mouth is made for this!" Ren moaned, breaking character a little, coming close to his climax.</p>
<p class="p1">He yanked Zuko by the hair when he felt the first spurt of semen pulse out, hips trembling and thighs contracting around the Fire Lord's neck. Zuko closed his eyes, leaving his tongue out, warm streaks of cum splashing him all over. He was swimming in pure bliss, being used by his sun, his queen, the love of his life, his hair pulled so tight he couldn't move anymore. Still, he couldn't help but grind his hips against the carpet, looking for friction of any kind on his poor neglected dick.</p>
<p class="p1">"Look at you, disobeying me like that," Ren said, smirking like a tigerhyena. "You've even left a stain on your carpet. What did I say?"</p>
<p class="p1">Zuko could only open one eye, his scar smeared in cum. "I can't touch myself until you tell me to."</p>
<p class="p1">Ren stepped on his swollen cock with the tip of his foot. "And what did you do?"</p>
<p class="p1">Zuko took a sharp breath. "... I rubbed myself on—on the floor." He was blushing from ear to ear, his cock twitching happily with the humiliation.</p>
<p class="p1">"Look at me, Zuko, and tell me what punishment I should give you for that," Ren said, pressing down with his foot.</p>
<p class="p1">The Fire Lord whimpered, struggling to look at his lover, too blinded by his looks and the power oozing out of him, the pain being the only thing reminding him that this was all pretense. "I—"</p>
<p class="p1">"Mmh?" Ren tilted his head, listening. His hairpins sparkled in the candle light, making him look like a bride on her wedding day.</p>
<p class="p1">Zuko exhaled, turning his face away. "Ren, no I—I can't go that far, sorry."</p>
<p class="p1">His lover lifted his foot, leaning forward with a soft smile on his lips, and left a kiss on his temple. "It's fine. Do you prefer to show me?" he asked, stroking his hair gently.</p>
<p class="p1">Zuko melted inside. He nodded, then climbed on the bed, facing down, his ass up in the air. The vulnerability was palpable.</p>
<p class="p1">Ren inhaled sharply. "I see," he said, his voice back to sounding deep and hungry. "You're right. You've been really naughty, and naughty boys deserve to get a good spanking sometimes."</p>
<p class="p1">Zuko whined in shame, his hips trembling.</p>
<p class="p1">"But I'm not gonna use my fragile hands, am I? I might hurt myself," Ren said, sliding his palms over the Fire Lord's round butt cheeks.</p>
<p class="p1">"It's in the bedside table," Zuko mumbled against the bedsheets, really hoping he wouldn't have to fetch it himself. Ren was just on the edge of going too far with him, and he really didn't want his mood to drop.</p>
<p class="p1">Fortunately, as if he had read his mind, Ren yanked the drawer open with airbending and the riding crop hiding inside flew to his hand, ready to hit.</p>
<p class="p1">"You're doing so good, my love, I'm so proud of you," he praised against Zuko's skin, leaving a trail of wet kisses all over his ass. "Ready?"</p>
<p class="p1">Zuko felt a full body shiver run down his spine. "Yes, <em>please</em>, my queen," he whispered, relaxing a little.</p>
<p class="p1">The first hit came and brought back the memories of the first time they had done it. It was a year before, when Zuko had drunkenly rubbed his ass against Ren's palm, hungry for contact and too inebriated to feel anything resembling shame.</p>
<p class="p1">He couldn't explain why it felt so good, but it really did, and he had quickly become addicted to this stress-relief method when he was feeling particularly anxious.</p>
<p class="p1">Ren hit him right in the middle of each cheek, the flat part of the crop smacking his skin loudly. If he was really honest, Zuko preferred his hands, but after the first time they had done it, Ren's hands had hurt so much he hadn't been able to work for the next two days. Zuko might have drunkenly begged for a little too much, that night.</p>
<p class="p1">His eyes were already starting to water, stinging sensation burning his ass. "Rennnnn—ahh!" he moaned, smacked right in the middle, just behind his balls.</p>
<p class="p1">"What did you call me?" Ren groaned, his voice like the rumble before the storm, hitting him hard on his right cheek.</p>
<p class="p1">"I'm sorry, your Highness!" Zuko sobbed, breath knocked out of his chest. His cock was leaking profusely, hanging helplessly between his legs.</p>
<p class="p1">Ren grabbed both of his cheeks, grating his nails over the redden skin. "I've never seen such a naughty boy before. How many hits should I gift him with before he's all good and pliant again, mmh? What do you think?"</p>
<p class="p1">It broke Zuko entirely. "Ahhahhhhh—gnnnn," he sobbed, his hips shaking, trying to get a hold of himself and failing at it.</p>
<p class="p1">“Are you okay? Kick the mattress if you're okay,” Ren asked, worried, but Zuko immediately kicked the mattress with his left foot and reassured him. Oh yeah, he was feeling far beyond <em>okay</em>.</p>
<p class="p1">He progressively calmed down, Ren's soothing palms helping a lot. "Ten... please," he said with a broken voice, burning with shame but feeling so good all over.</p>
<p class="p1">Ren smirked, getting back into character. "Count for me."</p>
<p class="p1">Zuko knew he would ask for that, and rolled his eyes in pleasure as the first hit came down hard, counting "One!" with his whole lungs.</p>
<p class="p1">"Good," Ren praised while he lifted his arm for the second blow.</p>
<p class="p1">"Two!!" Zuko yelped, hit much harder than the previous one. The sting was so sharp he could think about nothing else, and the burn following it was so delicious he could feel it running straight to the tip of his swollen cock.</p>
<p class="p1">Ren hit three times in a row on the same cheek, admiring how deep the shade of pink had turned.</p>
<p class="p1">"Five!" Zuko screamed, his hips crumbling with the strength of the blow and the pleasure-induced haze.</p>
<p class="p1">"If you don't hold still, I'm stopping here," Ren said, stern, brushing the tip of the crop along his thigh.</p>
<p class="p1">Zuko whined profusely, mind lost to pleasure and stinging pain.</p>
<p class="p1">Ren lifted an eyebrow. "Guess I'll stop here then," he said, putting the crop away.</p>
<p class="p1">Zuko immediately scrambled to rise on his knees again, begging, "No, no, no please! Don't stop, please!"</p>
<p class="p1">"Please <em>what?</em>"</p>
<p class="p1">"Please, <em>my queen,</em> please hit me five more times! Just five more and I'll be good! I'll be so good for you!" he cried, arching his back as best as he could, his hole twitching uncontrollably.</p>
<p class="p1">Ren leaned forward, wrapping his hand under his chin, fingers snaking between his lips. "You want to be called a good boy that bad?"</p>
<p class="p1">"Pwease!" Zuko sobbed around his digits.</p>
<p class="p1">"Suck on my fingers."</p>
<p class="p1">Ren hit him on the other cheek, then nothing.</p>
<p class="p1">Zuko opened his eyes, frowning.</p>
<p class="p1">"I'm waiting for your count." Ren's voice was so tense it felt like he was about to snap.</p>
<p class="p1">
  <em>Oh.</em>
</p>
<p class="p1">"<em>Shix</em>," Zuko said around his fingers, his heartbeat rising. It was both terrifying and <em>exhilarating</em>.</p>
<p class="p1">The next blows finally came. "Sheven! Eightsh!"</p>
<p class="p1">Ren took his fingers away, throwing the riding crop behind him, and hit with his whole hand, fingers spread wide. "Nine!" they counted together, and then "Ten!"</p>
<p class="p1">He flipped Zuko over, as easily as if he was a feather, devouring his lips, his hands all over him. "I'm so proud of you, my baby boy, you did so well! You're such a good boy!" he praised as he smothered Zuko in kisses. Not for a second did he mind rubbing his face in the mix of tears, sweat, drool and dried cum that was slathered all over the Fire Lord.</p>
<p class="p1">"Ren, Rennn," Zuko cried, unable to think anymore.</p>
<p class="p1">"Yes, my love, I'm here, I'm here," his lover hummed, tangling his fingers into his messy hair, gentle hands massaging his scalp and relieving the tension.</p>
<p class="p1">It took several minutes, but Zuko progressively managed to calm down, the sting on his ass slowly fading away.</p>
<p class="p1">"Better?" Ren asked, sitting up.</p>
<p class="p1">"Oh Agni, it felt amazing," he said, his voice hoarse, reaching for his lover's face.</p>
<p class="p1">Ren's red robe had slid off his bare shoulder and a few strands of his hair had escaped his updo, and he looked suddenly so, <em>so</em> tantalizing. Zuko watched him lean into his hand, kissing his wrist.</p>
<p class="p1">"... Fuck me," the Fire Lord said, surrendering to the tenderness, his eyes closing in bliss.</p>
<p class="p1">"Soft and slow? Hard and fast?"</p>
<p class="p1">Zuko pulled him by the collar, clashing their lips together. "I said, <em>'Ruin me'</em>, didn't I?"</p>
<p class="p1">Ren smirked, biting his lip, and indeed, ruined him until he begged for mercy.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Oooh I should have written Mai in earlier, she's so much fun! Also gentle reminder that I'm a vampire that feeds on comments, so if you have a little bit of spare energy left, please leave me something to read in the morning &lt;3</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0022"><h2>22. Chapter 22</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p class="p1">It woke him up in the middle of the night, again. He had to have some kids too. He was one of the only two hopes of rebuilding the airbender population, after all.</p><p class="p1">Ren had been having frequent dreams about the matter for several years now, and was not delighted by them at all.</p><p class="p1">"What's wrong?" Kaguya asked him when she brought him breakfast. They were alone in the shop, Ren's boss now heavily relying on him to run her business in her place.</p><p class="p1">"Nothing, just had a bad night."</p><p class="p1">"Nightmares?" she asked, handing him his teacup.</p><p class="p1">"More like, annoying dreams."</p><p class="p1">"Oh? What are they about? My mum used to believe in finding meaning in dreams, maybe I could help you with that!"</p><p class="p1">Ren sighed. "They're fucking weird, though."</p><p class="p1">Kaguya laughed. "It's fine, it's not like you can control them!"</p><p class="p1">"... They're about me getting pregnant and giving birth."</p><p class="p1">Kaguya blinked. "Oh? Do you want kids?"</p><p class="p1">Ren was conflicted. "No—I mean, I don't think I don't want to have them, it's just—well, I have to get some at some point anyway but time's passing so fast and I don't even know where to begin with," he rambled.</p><p class="p1">Kaguya tilted her head. "But why do you have to? Is your boyfriend thinking about it?"</p><p class="p1">"No—well yes, he's been thinking about it but it's more a matter of me being <em>who I am</em>, and also it's not like we can make babies together..."</p><p class="p1">Kaguya frowned, utterly confused. "You being who you are?"</p><p class="p1">
  <em>Oh.</em>
</p><p class="p1">Ren blushed from ear to ear, realizing he had never told her. "Kaguya, I—there's something I need to tell you," he stuttered, apologetic, and then he explained everything to her.</p><p class="p1">"You're an... an <em>airbender</em>?!" she gasped, immediately covering her mouth. "But I thought they were extinct? I thought the only airbender left was the Avatar?"</p><p class="p1">"We're the last two," Ren said shyly.</p><p class="p1">"Agni! But you're Fire Nation, aren't you? You swear to Agni, don't you?" She couldn't believe it.</p><p class="p1">"Yeah, I grew up here."</p><p class="p1">There was a sizeable silence, then all of a sudden, Kaguya took Ren's hands, holding them close to her heart. "I'm sorry," she said, tears rising in her eyes, "I'm so sorry we did that to your ancestors!"</p><p class="p1">Ren melted inside. He took her in her arms, patting her back. "It's not your fault," he whispered, calming her down. "You didn't do anything wrong, sweetheart."</p><p class="p1">She breathed slowly until she felt a little better. Then she realized what he had meant. "Oh Agni, that means you have to make an army of babies! But you don't even like women!"</p><p class="p1">Ren's shoulders dropped. "Yeah, don't remind me about that."</p><p class="p1">"Oh dear," Kaguya sighed, worried, "You're really screwed."</p><p class="p1">***</p><p class="p1">“How many do you want?”</p><p class="p1">“I don’t know, fifteen?”</p><p class="p1">“WHAT?!”</p><p class="p1">Ren opened the door and stepped inside the pavilion. “What are you talking about?”</p><p class="p1">“Oh hi Ren!” Suki said, happy to see him.</p><p class="p1">He went to kiss Zuko on the cheek.</p><p class="p1">“Suki just told me she wants to have <em>fifteen</em> kids, like it’s <em>normal!</em>” Zuko said, horrified. He was gesturing at her with a spoon, emphasizing his words.</p><p class="p1">She laughed out loud. “But they’re so cute! Have you held a baby before?”</p><p class="p1">“Ew! No!” Zuko spewed out, feeling his hair rising on his arms. Suki laughed again.</p><p class="p1">Ren sat down next to her, sighing. "What's up with everybody talking about having kids these days."</p><p class="p1">"Who else is talking about it?" she asked.</p><p class="p1">"My best friend. She's like you, she wants a bazillion babies as well. I really don't understand. Isn't it even more bothersome for you? You have to carry that thing for nine months," Ren said, resting his head on his hand. "And they're so expensive too! I've just saved up enough money to buy my own shop, I don't want to pay for another human being."</p><p class="p1">Suki and Zuko both raised their eyebrows, smiling. "Did you? Wow, congrats!" she said. "Dropping the news like it's no big deal, huh?"</p><p class="p1">Ren blushed, scratching his head.</p><p class="p1">Zuko took his hand under the table. "I'm so proud of you," he said with tenderness, "But to be honest, you should hold off for another year."</p><p class="p1">Ren blinked. "Oh? Why?"</p><p class="p1">Zuko looked at both of his friends, serious. "I haven't told anybody yet but... I'm planning on moving the capital city after my wedding."</p><p class="p1">"Oh? Why?" Suki asked.</p><p class="p1">"The royal court is still filled up to the brim with loyalists, and they're very attached to this city. I think if I move the palace, they won't follow me and it'll be a good way to get rid of them."</p><p class="p1">Ren frowned. "Don't you think it'll make the problem even worse? They won't have you around to keep them in check anymore."</p><p class="p1">Zuko hummed. "I've thought about that. I'm working on new laws that—well it's boring legal stuff, but in short, it'll force them to travel back and forth between their home and the new capital city every year, with a big tax on private ships and airships that'll make the journey long and fastidious and very costly."</p><p class="p1">Ren was impressed. "Wow. Do you really think that'll work? Won't they find a loophole?"</p><p class="p1">"Yeah, is it even possible to enforce this?" Suki asked.</p><p class="p1">"That's why I've been working on this for so long," Zuko said, "I have to think about every single thing they could come up with."</p><p class="p1"><em>Sokka would have been such a great help</em>, they all thought silently. Their friend had been the greatest strategist they had ever met, but he was unfortunately still living in the South Pole, doing whatever the Water Tribe needed him to do.</p><p class="p1">***</p><p class="p1">"So what are you gonna do at the winter banquet?" Zuko asked, leaning on his arm, his bare legs tangled with Ren's under the blanket.</p><p class="p1">"Impress the whole city with the most beautiful song the world has ever heard, of course. What else? I gotta show everyone how the other suitors are at least a hundred steps below me at all times," Ren smirked, making Zuko snort.</p><p class="p1">"I wouldn't be so harsh on Mai, though. She's only ninety-eight steps below," he said with laughing eyes.</p><p class="p1">"Oh yeah right, she's gay, that's worth two steps, at least."</p><p class="p1">"We don't know that."</p><p class="p1">"<em>You</em> don't know that. She oozes lesbian energy, come on! I bet she hangs out with Suki in those underground gay clubs!" Such clubs had popped up like daisies on a field during the past year, since Zuko had finally managed to remove the homosexuality ban from the constitution.</p><p class="p1">The Fire Lord thought for a moment. "That would explain why she doesn't want to marry me," he admitted.</p><p class="p1">Ren's smile immediately dropped. "She doesn't?"</p><p class="p1">"Nah. We talked for a while. She's only doing this because her father insisted on it."</p><p class="p1">"... So that means..."</p><p class="p1">"Yeah."</p><p class="p1">
  <em>It sucked even harder than they thought.</em>
</p><p class="p1">"Or," Zuko said, pulling Ren closer, trying to cheer him up, "I could just, I don't know, take a mistress in, knock her up, pay for her silence and pretend the kid is yours?"</p><p class="p1">Ren rolled his eyes. "Or I could kidnap you and leave the country? How about that? Living a cosy peasant life in the countryside of Ba Sing Se? Seems much more realistic to me."</p><p class="p1">Zuko snorted. "That does sound nice though."</p><p class="p1">Ren sighed, smiling at the thought. "Yeah. It does, right? Not having responsibility or anyone telling you what to do. Growing crops just for me and you and our two snailchickens... Oh and we could grow flax and I could weave linen and make dresses out of it!"</p><p class="p1">Zuko smiled softly, watching him with so much love it looked like it would spill out. "<em>It does sound nice.</em>"</p><p class="p1">A few moments passed, Ren daydreaming about his lovely cottage in the middle of the fields, away from the world. Zuko watched his pretty profile, his round lips shaped in a smile, his lashes fluttering with the vitality of a bird. He couldn't imagine spending his life with anyone else.</p><p class="p1">"Ren," he said, tucking a strand of white hair behind his ear, "Marr—"</p><p class="p1">But before he could say anything, Ren had put a hand over his mouth.</p><p class="p1">"Don't. Don't say that. Please."</p><p class="p1">"Why?" Zuko asked, startled.</p><p class="p1">Ren took a deep breath. "Because if you do, I don't know if I'll be able to say 'no'."</p><p class="p1">Zuko frowned. "But Ren—!"</p><p class="p1">His lover looked at him in the eyes, dead serious. "If you love me, Zuko, don't put me in a cage. Though made out of gold and sun stones, it'll forever be a cage to me."</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Thanks again for reading that far!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0023"><h2>23. Chapter 23</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>cw: smut after the party, drop</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p class="p1">"There you are! I thought you'd never come," Zuko sighed, relieved.</p>
<p class="p1">"Yeah I've been a little busy, sorry," Toph said, punching his arm as greetings. "When is it starting?"</p>
<p class="p1">"In ten minutes. They've come up with a whole opening show, I can't imagine what's going through Ren's head right now."</p>
<p class="p1">They were whispering while Zuko watched the venue hidden behind a curtain. The entire court was there, joined by select members of the different districts of the city.</p>
<p class="p1">"Sorry to put you through that," Zuko said.</p>
<p class="p1">Toph shrugged. "Oh, don't worry, I get to drink some crazy good wine, it's alright!"</p>
<p class="p1">Zuko rubbed his face. "Try not to drink too much tonight? Please?"</p>
<p class="p1">"Yeah, yeah. I'll try not to destroy anything. Pinky promise!"</p>
<p class="p1">Drunk Toph was a sight to be seen, for sure.</p>
<p class="p1">The three suitors were introduced one after the other by an enthusiastic commentator trying his best to cheer the crowd up. But the Fire Nation people were still quite new to the idea of partying, and only clapped politely each time there would be a sizeable silence. When it was Ren's turn to step into the light, the small group of people from the merchant district cheered happily, and his boss even sobbed "This is my apprentice!" out loud. Other than them, the rest of the room was silent. Suki smiled when she noticed how most of them had their jaw dropped, recognizing the real life Girl With The Embroidery Hoop.</p>
<p class="p1">The three suitors and the crowd settled at the tables, joined by the Fire Lord a few moments later. The winter banquet was a time to celebrate family, friends and home, a time of the year where Agni was resting and therefore the people as well. The food was warm and the drinks were spicy, and although still uptight, the crowd quickly relaxed, low hum of the conversation progressively rising in volume.</p>
<p class="p1">Mai gave her knife throwing demonstration between the appetizer and the main course, 'ooh's and 'aah's mostly coming from the merchant district and the ex-soldiers.</p>
<p class="p1">"Agni! She looks so cool!" Ren genuinely gasped.</p>
<p class="p1">"Her knives are from a famous blacksmith in the west ward," Zuko said, and they stayed on the topic for half an hour.</p>
<p class="p1">"I... didn't expect a seamstress to be that interested in knives?" Himiko said after a while, bored out of her mind by the conversation.</p>
<p class="p1">Ren and Zuko immediately tightened their lips, and Toph bursted out laughing, already feeling quite dizzy from the wine. Mai rolled her eyes, a small smirk rising on the corner of her mouth. "Even I am bored," she said, raising a shrimp to her lips.</p>
<p class="p1">Ren cleared his throat. "Well, uhm, you know, fabric sheers are a very important tool in my field of work, so anything sharp is interesting to me," he said, trying to save face. Toph laughed even louder. It was honestly so hard for him and Zuko to pretend they didn't know each other.</p>
<p class="p1">Fortunately, the main course came to an end and before dessert came in, Himiko left to prepare for her shamisen demonstration.</p>
<p class="p1">"Okay now can we stop pretending?" Mai whispered, hiding her mouth behind a napkin.</p>
<p class="p1">"You told her, right?" Ren checked with Zuko, then blocked the sound around them. "Yeah, sorry, thanks for helping!"</p>
<p class="p1">They were all hiding their mouths, so from the outside of the sound bubble, nobody could notice anything.</p>
<p class="p1">"Are you really gonna marry <em>her</em>?" Mai asked Zuko.</p>
<p class="p1">He gulped down, trying not to think about it. "She seems... nice?"</p>
<p class="p1">"As nice as wallpaper!" Toph said, asking for another glass of liquor.</p>
<p class="p1">Ren looked a little bit pained for him.</p>
<p class="p1">The first few notes of shamisen resonated from the small stage at the back of the room. She was kneeling down, playing with a graceful expression on her face, eyes closed.</p>
<p class="p1">"She's out of tune," Ren said, and Zuko could feel the smirk in his voice.</p>
<p class="p1">She readjusted the knobs several times, trying to be as discreet as possible. The song she was playing was old and slow, the type of court music that was played before the end of the war. She had probably learned it when she was a kid. The notes were cold and harsh, and the absolute silence of the public made the melody sound very lonely.</p>
<p class="p1">"My parents love that kind of music," Toph said, yawning, and it wasn't a compliment.</p>
<p class="p1">Even Zuko was falling asleep, although he genuinely wanted to give her a chance. If he was going to marry this lady, he might as well put at least a little faith in her.</p>
<p class="p1">They were saved out of their boredom when dessert arrived, slices of cinnamon cake filling the whole room with a nice cosy scent.</p>
<p class="p1">"Oh Agni, I couldn't wait for the cake!" Ren fawned, his cheeks full.</p>
<p class="p1">Back to her seat, Himiko threw him a judging look. "... Anyway, my Lord, is it true that you've been taught poetry since a young age?"</p>
<p class="p1">Toph spat her cake out. She was definitely going to cry of laughter tonight if things continued to be that entertaining.</p>
<p class="p1">A vivid memory of his tutor trying to make him memorize an ode to sunflowers came back to Zuko's mind. "Ahem, sort of? I wouldn't say I was a good student," he said, the tip of his ears blushing.</p>
<p class="p1">"I love literature!" Himiko said, her face lighting up. "Recently I've been studying the tale of The Princess Who Came From The Moon, the original text is fascinating!"</p>
<p class="p1">This got Ren's interest. "Yeah, it's such a good story! Have you seen the kabuki adaptation? My friend plays in it, she's super talented!"</p>
<p class="p1">Himiko winced, looking at him with disgust. "Kabuki? You mean, poor people theater?"</p>
<p class="p1">If a councilor hadn't come to seek for Ren right that exact moment, Himiko wouldn't have a head anymore.</p>
<p class="p1"><em>And here I thought I was gonna have mercy on her,</em> Ren thought as he stood up, the sparkles of his robes shining in the dim light.</p>
<p class="p1">Instead of going on stage, he stood in the middle of the room, the train of his kimono fluttering with each of his steps. The entire merchant district had joined forces to help him make the most beautiful furisode he had ever produced. It had been dyed and painted by the most skillful artists, fully embroidered with a team of the best seamstresses, tailored to his exact measurements so that no one but him could shine as bright. Famous jewelers had gifted him with so many hairpins he hadn't been able to put them all into his hair. The fact that a simple apprentice from the merchant district could maybe become the Fire Lady was a huge deal to all of them.</p>
<p class="p1">Honoring their hard work, Ren showed himself to the crowd, posture perfect, and waited for the first few notes of the song he had prepared with the theater's musicians. (<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uSrFwAYdFE4">link</a>)</p>
<p class="p1">When the first note hit, he stepped once and the whole venue suddenly sounded like a temple. The first echo of his voice filled the room entirely, the blinding smile on his lips curling the end of each of his words. He held his hand toward his boss' table, and the whole merchant district stood up, immediately pairing up to dance. The rest of the tables shyly followed their example, one after the other. When Ren hit the first refrain, the whole room was full of people waltzing around, barely touching hands the Fire Nation way, just the tip of the fingers.</p>
<p class="p1">Zuko couldn't help but smile, mesmerized, listening to the lyrics about their time at sea, growing and healing together from the wounds of their childhood and becoming lovers, a time so dear to him and yet so dire. There was no one in the world who could make his heart vibrate the way Ren did.</p>
<p class="p1">Mai pulled him out of his reverie by kicking him under the table, pushing him to join the crowd. He looked so in love it made her want to gag.</p>
<p class="p1">Himiko stood as well, about to ask for a dance, but he didn't even notice her and went straight to the center of the room. Ren shyly bowed to him, and they held their hands together, fingertips brushing against each other's, the warmth of Zuko's palms meeting the coldness of Ren's, and the crowd cheered for them, enthralled. The music grew in intensity, Ren's angelic voice dominating the room like a divine calling while he danced with the Fire Lord, embers in their eyes.</p>
<p class="p1">The bridge leading to the last refrain soon called for a partner change, and as Ren turned around to meet his new lead, someone knocked the hairpin at the top of his head, making his entire topknot drop, his long hair flowing down like a waterfall on his back. He was about to catch the precious hairpin with airbending before it hit the ground and broke to pieces, but Zuko caught it just in time. The crowd gasped, seeing the Fire Lord bow so low in front of the third suitor, and then cheered vigorously when they saw him give the hairpin back, his hands cupping Ren's. His boss almost fainted, and the whole crowd would recount the scene decades later as the most romantic moment they had ever witnessed.</p>
<p class="p1">As the banquet came to an end, the three suitors walked out the venue, climbing in each of their designated palanquins. Strangely, Himiko briefly joined Ren for a few moments before going to hers and leaving for home.</p>
<p class="p1">"Where were you yesterday?" Zuko asked Ren the following night as he jumped down the ceiling trap of the Fire Lord's bedroom.</p>
<p class="p1">"Sorry, I was tired after the party," Ren said, burying his face in his neck. "Do you have liquor?"</p>
<p class="p1">Zuko blinked. "Yes? You wanna drink again?"</p>
<p class="p1">"Let's get smashed," Ren growled, and pushed the Fire Lord against his mattress, ravishing his lips.</p>
<p class="p1">"Are you done?" Zuko asked, an hour and several shots later, as Ren was leaving kiss marks literally everywhere on his body, making him wait.</p>
<p class="p1">"No."</p>
<p class="p1">Ren then proceeded to move from his calf to his ankle, refusing to leave any part of his body unmarked.</p>
<p class="p1">Zuko snorted. "What am I gonna say if somebody notices?"</p>
<p class="p1">"Say that you got eaten by bed bugs."</p>
<p class="p1">Zuko laughed and sat up, cupping Ren's face and pulling him into a kiss. "Seriously, can you fuck me already?" he said gently, rubbing his thumb on his lover's bottom lip.</p>
<p class="p1">Ren looked at him with the air of defiance that he had when he was drunk and not getting his way. "Make me."</p>
<p class="p1">Zuko lifted his eyebrow, surprised at how hard to read his mood was tonight.</p>
<p class="p1">Ren tackled him back on the bed, shoving him with his whole weight. "Make me," he growled, "or I'm just gonna mark you until there's not an inch of white skin left."</p>
<p class="p1">This got Zuko to laugh again, and that didn't seem to please Ren.</p>
<p class="p1">"I'm serious, Zuko," he said, pouting for emphasis.</p>
<p class="p1">Zuko pushed his cheeks together like a pufferfish, but got bitten when he tried to kiss him. "What are you?! An animal?!" he cried, although it didn't really hurt.</p>
<p class="p1">Ren smirked. "What if I am?"</p>
<p class="p1">Zuko grabbed a handful of his hair, finally getting what he was going for. "I guess I'll have to tame you then."</p>
<p class="p1">"I bet you'll fail miserably," Ren taunted.</p>
<p class="p1">Zuko rolled them over, his large shoulders hovering above his lover. "You're pretty cocky for someone who's never won a wrestling match in his life."</p>
<p class="p1">Ren smirked wider. "You're right. I'm very <em>pretty</em>," he said, and got pressed down against the mattress under Zuko's whole body weight. Somehow, he still managed to struggle out of the embrace, but Zuko caught his arms and lifted them up while straddling his chest, making it impossible to move. Ren's ego was honestly hurt by how quickly he had lost. It was made even worse when Zuko found the ties of his robes and wrapped them around his wrists, above his head.</p>
<p class="p1">"That's so unfair," Ren complained, pouting harder.</p>
<p class="p1">"Try to run away again and I'll tie you to the bed frame," Zuko said, his voice tinted with arousal.</p>
<p class="p1">Ren stayed silent, fire in his eyes, and his lover snorted, "You're right, I might as well do it now."</p>
<p class="p1">Zuko was pretty sure Ren could cut the ties off easily, but the entire point was that he didn't. He didn't, even though he would never admit to liking being tied down, but he still didn't struggle out of his restraints, and that was enough of an admission.</p>
<p class="p1">"Zuko..." Ren whined after half an hour of being forced to watch his lover finger himself right above his cock, now hard and leaking and desperate for contact. "I thought you wanted to get fucked?" he said, rolling his hips against nothing.</p>
<p class="p1">"What? You thought I wasn't going to make you pay for earlier?" Zuko panted, his hand starting to cramp. "I can go for so much longer."</p>
<p class="p1">Ren shut his eyes, saying between his teeth, "Please don't." He was so hard he wanted to cry.</p>
<p class="p1">Zuko bent forward, his long hair brushing over Ren's cock, making him jolt. "But you and your terrible stamina," he said against his lover's neck, pulling his head back by the hair, "you're gonna come way too fast, and I'll be left wanting."</p>
<p class="p1">This knocked the air out of Ren's chest. Was Zuko really humiliating him? And his own fucking<span class="s1">—</span>treacherous cock twitched! Ren bit the inside of his cheek, trying to grasp at the remaining bits of his dignity. "... So what do you suggest?" he said, his voice dark and his eyes hungry.</p>
<p class="p1">"I'm not suggesting anything," Zuko said, sitting upright, posture imposing. "I'm <em>ordering</em> you not to come."</p>
<p class="p1">He then freed Ren's wrists and wrapped the silk ties around the base of his cock instead. Ren gasped at both the touch and the shameful idea, feeling absolutely ridiculous and yet so engrossed in desire. Zuko poured a thin drip of lube right on the tip of his cock, the cold liquid sending shivers along Ren's entire spine, making him moan loudly.</p>
<p class="p1">"Hands off," Zuko ordered when Ren tried to grab himself. "Keep them above you."</p>
<p class="p1">Ren whined copiously, but obeyed. He was too scared that Zuko wouldn't give him what he wanted if he tried to play again. He shut his eyes tight when he felt a warm palm spread the lube over his dick, and grunted when he felt a tight pucker of muscle open around his tip.</p>
<p class="p1">"Zuko—Zuko! Zuko-gnnnnh!" he whined, grasping the silk bedsheets above his head, his hips stuttering. He was already feeling overwhelmed, and the ties around his dick made the sensation even sharper.</p>
<p class="p1">Zuko quickly bottomed out, pinning Ren's hips to the mattress with his weight. "Is it too tight?" he asked, his voice temporarily softening.</p>
<p class="p1">"No! Yes! I don't know!" Ren cried, unable to think anymore.</p>
<p class="p1">Zuko bounced once, twice on his hips and then picked up a rhythm, a predatory smile on his lips. "You're not coming until I tell you to," he growled, "You little brat."</p>
<p class="p1">Ren arched his back, rolling his hips as best as he could under Zuko's weight, tears already pearling at the corner of his eyes.</p>
<p class="p1">Zuko rode him eagerly for what felt like ages, and he couldn't think about anything other than the ties wrapped around his cock, frustratingly preventing the waves of pleasure from reaching their full height.</p>
<p class="p1">"I'm sorry! Zuko I'm sorry!" Ren cried, because he was not above begging, "Let me, let me—! Please!"</p>
<p class="p1">He was covered in his own sweat and drool, his knuckles white from grasping the sheets too tight for so long, and Zuko finally had mercy and untied his cock. It only took one more thrust, and Ren was screaming as he came inside, so overwhelmed he wasn't even sure he liked the sensation. Zuko finished himself on his chest, splashes of hot cum feeling like burning lava on his skin.</p>
<p class="p1">Ren felt like he was suddenly getting dragged to the bottom of the sea.</p>
<p class="p1">"Shhh," Zuko soothed, taking him in his arms as his face turned white, feeling both too cold and too hot and gross and ashamed.</p>
<p class="p1">"I'm sorry," Ren mumbled, and he cried and he cried and he cried until his eyes had no tears left to cry but his heart still contained the ocean.</p>
<p class="p1">"Shh it's okay, you did great," Zuko whispered, kissing him on the forehead, warm hands rubbing him all over.</p>
<p class="p1">Ren shook his head, not replying. He was feeling so utterly terrible he wanted nothing but to crawl into a hole and hide.</p>
<p class="p1">"I pushed you too far," Zuko said, worrying his lip, "I'm sorry."</p>
<p class="p1">This got Ren sobbing again. "No! No, no, you—"</p>
<p class="p1">"Shh," Zuko put a finger on his lips, and then kissed them, and then his cheeks, and his eyelids, and his nose. "Let's not do that again, okay?"</p>
<p class="p1">Ren nodded, his chin trembling. Yeah, he really wasn't into the whole degradation thing, after all. And it was possibly the worst day of his life to find out about that.</p>
<p class="p1">Zuko carefully cleaned him with a damp cloth, leaving trails of kisses wherever he wiped, and then made Ren turn around, giving him the nicest back massage he could do.</p>
<p class="p1">Inside Ren's mind though, things were still in shambles. The words Himiko had told him as they had left the party were looping in his head, unstoppable.</p>
<p class="p1">“I know you’re close to the Fire Lord," she had said, tone vicious. "You can’t parade across the whole city wearing royal sun stones in your hair without giving it away. Peasants don't know what they are, but <em>I</em> do. Either you stole them or he gave them to you," she said, and tilted her head. "But I have a feeling that it’s the latter."</p>
<p class="p1">She held a letter up for Ren to see. It was from Lord Iroh, inquiring about Zuko’s next coming to his tea shop in the Earth Kingdom, and asking how Ren’s apprenticeship was going.</p>
<p class="p1">Himiko pinched her lips. “You’re much closer to the royal family than what you pretend to be."</p>
<p class="p1">Ren winced. “And you’re a criminal, stealing royal mail. Isn’t that worse?"</p>
<p class="p1">“Oh, don’t play the innocent with me," she said with a voice that would make anyone hate her. "You’ve got so much blood on your hands everywhere you go reeks of iron."</p>
<p class="p1">Ren tried not to show his emotions, but it just confirmed her suspicions. Anybody else would have defended themselves against such accusations.</p>
<p class="p1">“Why aren’t you saying anything?" she asked but didn't wait for a reply, "Oh I know why. Because if it gets known that the Fire Lord’s mistress is a war criminal and has betrayed her own country times and times again during her youth, it’ll probably set the whole country on fire, start a civil war, something like that. The loyalists will never let it go."</p>
<p class="p1">Ren took a deep breath. “What do you want?"</p>
<p class="p1">She smiled like a tigerhyena. “I want the <em>throne</em>. And you're going to give it to me."</p>
<p class="p1">It took the whole way back for Ren to process the conversation.</p>
<p class="p1">
  <em>What are her proofs? Does she even have any? Did I just got played like a complete fool? Oh Agni, is it my punishment for killing Azula? I get to have a second snake princess, is that it?</em>
</p>
<p class="p1">"I just got outsmarted, didn't I?" Ren whispered to himself, lying on the floor of his room.</p>
<p class="p1">He thought for a long time. What was she talking about? A war criminal? It was true that he had killed two Fire Nation soldiers during the war, but they were on Zuko's ship and the rest of the crew would never betray him so easily. She would never know about that incident.</p>
<p class="p1">A memory then came back.</p>
<p class="p1">During his time with the Freedom Fighters, Jet had encouraged Ren to kill every Fire Nation soldier traversing the woods. And it wasn't just soldiers, but also common people. There was a colonial village nearby, and Ren had quickly lost his head count during the three months he had spent fighting alongside his new friends.</p>
<p class="p1">On the last day he had spent with them, he had spared someone for the first time. And since he wasn't hiding his hair, there was no doubt about his identity, even on the other side of the world.</p>
<p class="p1"><em>With my luck it probably was her cousin or something</em>, Ren thought, sighing deeply as he watched Zuko sit next to him, taking him into his arms.</p>
<p class="p1">"What's the matter?" Zuko asked, because nothing he had done felt like it had helped.</p>
<p class="p1">"Could you..."</p>
<p class="p1">"Yeah?"</p>
<p class="p1">Ren took a deep breath. "Could you ask me to marry you?"</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Ren's song : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uSrFwAYdFE4</p>
<p>This chapter was so painful to write oh my god</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0024"><h2>24. Chapter 24</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p class="p1">The wedding happened on the day of the summer solstice, after having been delayed several times. The councilors had picked that date hoping that it would make a lucky marriage, even though it had already ran through several setbacks. But finally, the Fire Lord and the soon-to-be Fire Lady walked down the aisle, under Agni's scorching heat and in front of the whole city—almost. Nobody from the merchant district had come, but it was hard to notice in the crowd.</p>
<p class="p1">The path was long, and their walk was slow. Zuko was fine with the heat, but he still thought he was glad he wasn't the one who had to cover their head with a veil. All of their moves were codified by layers upon layers of protocols, and they had had to rehearse the ceremony for weeks. It was gut-wrenching, having to watch each of his steps carefully, moving in a way so unnatural to him, his feet sliding one after the other over the immense carpet running down the palace court.</p>
<p class="p1">There was music, of shamisen and violins, a tsungi horn maybe meddling in the mix, but Zuko only heard it from afar, the storm in his mind ringing too loud in his ears. He was glad his hands could stay hidden inside his sleeves, contracting and stretching his fingers repeatedly as he tried to relax. His coronation had been a walk in the park in comparison.</p>
<p class="p1">From the outside, he knew he looked proper and solemn, because he was used to putting the Fire Lord mask on by now. But if anyone had been able to listen to his mind, they would have run away, covering their ears, eardrums pierced by the violent internal screaming.</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">What if it was the wrong choice?</p>
<p class="p1">But it was the only possibility, right?</p>
<p class="p1">But what if there had been another way?</p>
<p class="p1">What if he regretted?</p>
<p class="p1">Jokes on him, he already did.</p>
<p class="p1">It wasn't right, it would never feel right.</p>
<p class="p1"> </p>
<p class="p1">Somehow, his feet led him to the end of the aisle, and as he turned around and faced his people, the entire universe weighted down on his shoulders. He didn't even remember a single word of his speech, his only memory of the ceremony being the very loud gasp the crowd let out when he removed the red veil hiding the face of his now spouse.</p>
<p class="p1">She stood proudly, beautiful and cold, and swore to care for the Son of Agni for the rest of her life. Long locks of ebony hair slid down her shoulders as she bowed deeply to her people, but Zuko made no gesture toward her.</p>
<p class="p1">Himiko may have found a place on the throne, but she would never find a place in his heart.</p>
<p class="p1">***</p>
<p class="p1">"No."</p>
<p class="p1"> </p>
<p class="p1">Zuko kissed the love of his life tenderly, wrapping all his limbs around him.</p>
<p class="p1"> </p>
<p class="p1">"I won't ask you to marry me, Ren. I won't take you away from the people you love and who love you so tenderly, I won't take you away from the job you've worked so hard to get, from the shop you'll soon be able to open, from the life you've wanted to live freely and fully. I won't take you away from any of that."</p>
<p class="p1">Ren smiled, closing his eyes. <em>Of course</em>, he thought, letting a deep sigh echo in the bedroom. Of course Zuko would say that.</p>
<p class="p1">***</p>
<p class="p1">"Hey Zuko..." Ren asked with a small voice, a couple of weeks before the ceremony. "Do you really want me to attend your wedding?"</p>
<p class="p1">They were lying down next to each other in bed. Zuko turned to his side, cupping his lover's face. "You don't have to," he said, even though he would have really appreciated the moral support.</p>
<p class="p1">Ren looked away. "I was thinking... since it'll be a public holiday, I thought I could take a few days off and go see Master Piandao."</p>
<p class="p1">Zuko's eyes warmed up. "That's a great idea. You haven't seen him in years, right?"</p>
<p class="p1">Ren nodded. "Yeah, last time was at the White Lotus' campsite near Ba Sing Se. It's been ages. I thought I could spend four or five days at his place, and then come back the day following the ceremony."</p>
<p class="p1">Zuko smiled. "No need. I'll meet you there myself. I've got a honeymoon to go on."</p>
<p class="p1">Ren paused, frowning.</p>
<p class="p1">"What?"</p>
<p class="p1">Zuko grinned. "Yeah, a honeymoon with you!"</p>
<p class="p1">Ren squinted, utterly confused. "Don't make fun of me, Zuko."</p>
<p class="p1">Zuko hugged him, leaving a kiss on his forehead. "I'm not joking. I really have to go on a honeymoon, but nothing about the protocol says I have to go on a honeymoon <em>with her</em>. And I think this would be a good opportunity to try to find a good place for the new capital city. How about we do that together? I can take an airship to Master Piandao's house right after the ceremony?"</p>
<p class="p1">"... You have to spend at least a night with her," Ren said. It stung his tongue so bad saying that.</p>
<p class="p1">Equally hurt by the idea, Zuko sighed. "... I guess I do."</p>
<p class="p1">***</p>
<p class="p1">They spent the evening before Ren's departure drinking with Suki in the forest pavilion. Toph was once again doing her own thing somewhere in the city, busying herself with her 'secret business' as she called it.</p>
<p class="p1">Suki laughed herself to tears once she heard Zuko's plan. "Oh Agni I can't believe it! Zuko, you're really something else!" she said, holding her stomach. She had picked up the habit to swear to Agni from her girlfriend, and it would often slip past her lips without her noticing.</p>
<p class="p1">"What? Isn't that a great plan? I think I'm a genius," he laughed, taking another sip of liquor. "You, me, and Ren, on an adventure undercover, as a pseudo-solo honeymoon! Perfect!"</p>
<p class="p1">Ren was resting his head on his hand, looking at Zuko with blurry enamored eyes. "Suki might get bored, though. I mean, I wouldn't want to be the third wheel between you and I, if I were her."</p>
<p class="p1">“Oh yeah," Zuko realized, "You should bring your girlfriend.”</p>
<p class="p1">Suki’s eyes widened. “What?! But wouldn’t that be giving away that you’re cheating on your wife? Why not Toph instead?”</p>
<p class="p1">Zuko chuckled. “If she’s your girlfriend, then I think I can trust her. Especially with everything you told me about her. And Toph doesn't want to go, I already asked.”</p>
<p class="p1">Suki turned to Ren, hoping that he would put some sense into the Fire Lord’s brain.</p>
<p class="p1">“Yeah, your girlfriend should come with us!” he said instead.</p>
<p class="p1">“How can you trust me like that?!” she exclaimed.</p>
<p class="p1">“You’ve got great taste in men,” Ren said, mischievous, “so we trust your taste in women.”</p>
<p class="p1">Suki snorted. "You two really have a thing for Sokka, don't you?" she nonchalantly said before taking a sip.</p>
<p class="p1">Ren spat his liquor out and Zuko strangled himself with his food. Suki smirked, knowing that they would never admit to anything but still delighted by their reaction.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Feel free to leave me a comment, I'd really appreciate it &lt;3</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0025"><h2>25. Chapter 25</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p class="p1">"Are you okay?"</p><p class="p1">Ren's vision blurred out once the wind carried the sounds of the celebratory fireworks, lit in honor of the Fire lord and the Fire Lady, far away in the valley. "Yeah uh, sorry Master, what were you saying?"</p><p class="p1">Piandao smiled, taking his hand and rubbing a thumb over his knuckles. "We've been away for a long time, but you know... you can still talk to me anytime."</p><p class="p1">Ren slumped a little, a ball of sorrow stuck in his throat. "I... Sorry it's stupid. I know I shouldn't be affected by Zu—by the Fire Lord's wedding that much."</p><p class="p1">Piandao tilted his head, listening.</p><p class="p1">Ren stuttered. "I-I mean, we've been <em>best friends</em> for so long and uh..." What even was the point of talking about this if he'd only spew lies?</p><p class="p1">But Piandao wouldn't be fooled. "I'm sorry I haven't made this clear enough," he said, solemn and tender, "but you <em>really</em> can talk to me about <em>anything</em>, you know?"</p><p class="p1">Ren looked at him, gulping down, feeling like he was about to puke all his heart out. And what if he did? What if? He could, right? It was Master Piandao after all.</p><p class="p1">So he did. And tears were cried and hands were held and when Ren pulled back from their hug and looked up at the person he loved like a father, Piandao was smiling at him.</p><p class="p1">"<em>My child</em>," Piandao said, tucking a strand of hair behind Ren's ear, "You've grown into a strong, talented adult and you've gone so, so far, all by yourself. I couldn't be prouder, to have you as my family."</p><p class="p1">"I'm afraid I won't be able to bring you grandchildren," Ren said, letting a small sigh out.</p><p class="p1">"You don't know that," Piandao said, his eyes twinkling, "You might one day find a shoeless child running in the middle of a field, and decide on a whim to take them home."</p><p class="p1">Ren smiled, thinking of that golden wheat field and the feeling of trust he had instantly felt seeing Piandao hold a gentle hand toward him. And then another thought came to his mind.</p><p class="p1">"Are you..." he said, hesitantly, and then found the courage in Piandao's tender eyes, "Are you—also... ?"</p><p class="p1">Piandao laughed. "Oh Ren, I know you've found those books in my library."</p><p class="p1">Ren looked away, blushing. "The—the lizardcat made them fall down the shelf."</p><p class="p1">"I've never been interested in women," Piandao said, and before Ren would ask, he added, "And I've been in a relationship for quite a few years now. Although we don't often have the chance to see each other."</p><p class="p1">Ren raised his eyebrows. "You—? Wow! Who is he?"</p><p class="p1">Piandao grinned. "An old friend, he lives in Ba Sing Se now. But I believe you're fairly close with him already..."</p><p class="p1">Ren's jaw had never dropped so low before.</p><p class="p1">***</p><p class="p1">They got Suki's girlfriend on the airship just before departure, her face and hair concealed with a scarf to protect her identity. The mission was to be as lowkey as possible, as to not alert any of Ozai's loyalists. They had taken a bet, and wanted to be as careful as possible.</p><p class="p1">She only met Zuko once she arrived in Master Piandao's living room, and then gasped loudly, not because she was meeting the Fire Lord in person, but because right next to him was standing... her best friend.</p><p class="p1">"Ren?! What are you doing here?!"</p><p class="p1">"Kaguya?!" he gasped as loudly, hiding his mouth, then immediately smiling from ear to ear. He realized neither him nor Suki had ever mentioned her name, during all those years.</p><p class="p1">Suki and Zuko both blinked in confusion, and Piandao rubbed his beard, concealing a chuckle.</p><p class="p1">"Oh Agni, I can't believe it!" Kaguya laughed, throwing herself in Ren's arms. "The sun is playing with us!"</p><p class="p1">"So you are the most splendid lady Suki has been raving about? It makes so much sense now!" Ren giggled, returning the hug, making her spin.</p><p class="p1">Zuko watched them dance around like butterflies, one black, one white, their hairpins shining in the late afternoon light. "... They're so <em>small</em>," was all he could say, brain melted to honey at the cuteness.</p><p class="p1">"... Yeah, they fit so well together," Suki said mindlessly, "I can't believe I didn't connect the dots."</p><p class="p1">"Life really is full of surprises," Piandao hummed, his eyes sparkling with joy at seeing the timid child he had raised beam like the sun.</p><p class="p1">"You little liar!" Kaguya laughed, pinching Ren's cheeks. "I can't believe you knew His Highness the Fire Lord and you didn't tell me!"</p><p class="p1">Ren dramatically gasped, faking being offended. "How was I suppose to tell you he's my boyfriend?"</p><p class="p1">Kaguya glanced between Zuko and Ren, her eyes wide open. "You—your <em>boyfriend</em>?! Ren! <em>You</em>—Oh Agni, I can't believe I had to push you to become a suitor! He's—<em>your boyfriend?! </em>Your boyfriend of <em>ten years?!</em>"</p><p class="p1">Ren turned to Suki and Zuko. "You didn't tell her anything?"</p><p class="p1">They both shrugged. "We thought she could figure things out on her own?"</p><p class="p1">Kaguya stared at them, blank face. "They really thought I was that smart?" she said, making Ren burst out in laughter.</p><p class="p1">Zuko glanced at Piandao, worried look on his face. But Piandao just smiled at him, nodding approvingly. Relief filled the Fire Lord's chest, glad that the conversation had already happened. Although now illegal, homophobia was still deeply ingrained into the minds of his people, and he had already been immensely disappointed by past conversations with some of his acquaintances. He was so glad his sword master didn't disapprove.</p><p class="p1">"So this is my sword master, Master Piandao," Ren introduced. "Also kind of my dad," he added, a little sheepish.</p><p class="p1">Kaguya gave him her biggest smile, all the stories Ren had told her echoing in her ears. "Thanks for taking such good care of Ren!" she said, "She's so lucky to have you!"</p><p class="p1">A silence fell for a moment.</p><p class="p1">"She?" Zuko checked if he had heard right.</p><p class="p1">Ren froze, then blushed. "Uh<span class="s1">—</span>yeah uhm, everyone who knows me thinks I'm a girl," he explained, hiding his reddening cheeks with his hands.</p><p class="p1">"But I'm in on the secret!" Kaguya said, winking adorably.</p><p class="p1">Ren snorted. "Yeah, <em>all</em> the secrets!"</p><p class="p1">"Even the bending?"</p><p class="p1">Kaguya nodded cheerfully.</p><p class="p1">Zuko smiled at her.</p><p class="p1">"Do you want me to use 'she' as well?" he asked Ren, feeling a little guilty that he hadn't thought to ask before.</p><p class="p1">"Nah," Ren shrugged, "That'd feel weird, don't you think?"</p><p class="p1">Zuko took his hand. "I don't care how weird it feels if it makes you more comfortable."</p><p class="p1">Ren took his other hand, tangling their fingers together. "It would feel weird because <em>it's you</em>," he said, blocking the sound around them, "and it's something special that only you and I have. I'm nobody else's boyfriend."</p><p class="p1">Zuko melted, and couldn't help but leave a kiss on his forehead, immediately blushing as he remembered Master Piandao was here.</p><p class="p1">"Oh Agni, they're so cute," Kaguya whispered to Suki. "Are they like this all the time?"</p><p class="p1">"You'll get used to it," Suki whispered back, grinning.</p><p class="p1">Ren cleared his throat, looking away. "A-anyway, now that we're here, wanna duel?"</p><p class="p1">Zuko lit up. "Fuck yeah!" he said from the bottom of his heart, the biggest smile on his lips.</p><p class="p1">They almost ran to the training grounds, Ren quickly untying his sash and shedding his kimono off. Underneath, instead of the usual white under robe, he was wearing long pants and a short chemise, both black, not unlike what he had always worn when he was younger. He folded his clothes neatly and put them near the door.</p><p class="p1">Zuko had taken his robes off as well, going shirtless, his defined muscles radiating with the heat of the sun.</p><p class="p1">"All out?" Ren smirked, tilting his head as he let his hair fall down from his bun.</p><p class="p1">"All out," Zuko beamed, having looked forward to this as soon as he knew he was coming here.</p><p class="p1">They had never had the chance to fight one another using their bending before, and Zuko had spent countless evenings falling asleep to the thoughts of Ren and him fighting side by side, on an adventure somewhere in the forest.</p><p class="p1">Ren quickly finished braiding his hair and called both of his sabers, the gesture now much more controlled, after several years of making objects levitate.</p><p class="p1">They bowed to each other, then Zuko took a sideway stance.</p><p class="p1">"No sabers?" Ren asked.</p><p class="p1">Zuko shook his head. "I don't wanna get crushed that hard," he said with laughing eyes. "I'm so out of practice you're gonna get mad at me."</p><p class="p1">Ren rolled his eyes, smiling. "I guess I'll have to turn this honeymoon into a bootcamp then," he said, and before he finished his last word, he lunged forward.</p><p class="p1">Zuko was waiting for him, and dodged gracefully, his heartbeat jumping with glee.</p><p class="p1">Kaguya gasped, watching them from the balcony, holding her hands to her heart with worry.</p><p class="p1">Suki smiled at her, a gentle hand caressing her cheek. "Don't worry babe," she said.</p><p class="p1">"But they're—!"</p><p class="p1">"You've never seen people fight before?" Piandao asked, his voice warm.</p><p class="p1">Kaguya batted her eyelashes, not knowing where to look. "I-I've never been allowed to go to Agni Kai." Admitting this was a shame for anyone in the Fire Nation. It meant they were of too low status, and a lot of conclusions could be drawn from that fact.</p><p class="p1">But Piandao kept the same warmth. "Agni Kai are much different. This is more of a game than a duel. Look at their faces," he said, pointing at them.</p><p class="p1">The two fighters had moved closer to the fish pond, Zuko grinning so wide it was blinding, Ren's eyes burning with something Kaguya had never seen in him. "She looks like a bird of prey," she thought out loud, making both Piandao and Suki chuckle.</p><p class="p1">"You'll end up taking a swim with the koi fish if you continue stepping back," Ren taunted, knowing perfectly that he hadn't yet left any opening for Zuko to push him back.</p><p class="p1">"That'd be refreshing!" Zuko replied, sweating. He hadn't known what to expect, but certainly not Ren holding his stance so easily against him after so many years living in the city. "Did you practice in secret?" he managed to ask, pushing a wide flame out and forcing Ren to jump backward.</p><p class="p1">"From time to time," Ren said, cutting through the flame as if it was just smoke. "You don't have to hold back, you know?"</p><p class="p1">Zuko exhaled quickly. "I know. I just don't want to burn you by accident," he admitted, standing up tall.</p><p class="p1">Ren understood his concern. "And I don't want to cut you up. No bending then?"</p><p class="p1">Zuko nodded. "No bending. Hands to hands?"</p><p class="p1">Ren grinned, approaching very close, his sabers left behind. "I'm still gonna crush you anyway!"</p><p class="p1">"Not unless I pin you down first!"</p><p class="p1">But before Zuko could do anything, Ren had jumped up the tree above them and was putting his tongue out, laughing.</p><p class="p1">"Catch me if you can!" he said, then jumped from tree to tree until he reached the small bamboo forest he had helped plant fifteen years before. There was no way he was hanging from bamboo tree to bamboo tree without airbending, as his hands would just stick to the wood like magnets.</p><p class="p1">"That's cheating!" Zuko yelped, his voice suddenly so close to his teenage self. He jumped as high as he could, forcing the bamboo tree Ren had finally stopped on to bend with his weight.</p><p class="p1">"Uh-oh." Ren's eyes widened once he found himself head upside down, looking at the canopy of peach trees just next to the bamboo forest. The bamboo tree he was glued on shook again, Zuko channeling his old teenage rage against the wood, and then it gave out right when Ren jumped to the peach tree. But the tree wasn't tall, and Zuko managed to grab his ankle and pull him down before he could find a secure spot.</p><p class="p1">"I got you," Zuko panted, pining his arms above his head.</p><p class="p1">"But did you win, though?" Ren said, grinning like a demon.</p><p class="p1">He put his palm to the base of the peach tree, making the whole tree shake, and ripe peaches immediately rained down the Fire Lord's head and back.</p><p class="p1">"I guess peach tart is on the menu tonight," Ren laughed, and Zuko groaned, his ego defeated.</p><p class="p1">When they came back with Zuko covered in peach juice, Piandao laughed. "I let you go for just a few years and you come back turned into a goatmonkey!" he said to Ren, smiling from ear to ear. "Where did you learn to fight like that?"</p><p class="p1">Ren crinkled his nose. "With some goatmonkey I met in the Earth Kingdom," he said, and could feel Zuko's smirk radiating from his side without looking at him.</p><p class="p1">"Let's go take a bath, goatmonkey," Zuko said, pulling him by the hand as if it was his own house. It was also a good excuse to avoid looking Kaguya in the eyes after such an impressive demonstration of strength and power—definitely worthy of a Fire Lord, right?</p><p class="p1">"You're embarrassed," Ren stated the obvious once they were both soaking in warm water.</p><p class="p1">"I'm not." Zuko sank in deeper, blowing bubbles. "Stop it with your shit-eating grin," he said, half his words swallowed by the water.</p><p class="p1">"You wanted to impress Kaguya, uh," Ren teased.</p><p class="p1">Zuko said nothing, looking away.</p><p class="p1">Ren tucked his chin just between his lover's kneecaps, filling his entire view with his grin. "She's nice, right?"</p><p class="p1">Zuko refused to look at him. "... Yeah. She's nice," he admitted, just so Ren would leave him be.</p><p class="p1">"She's soooo nice and cute and lovely and perfect, you have no idea what you're getting into."</p><p class="p1">Actually, he did. Suki had been so talkative about her when they were alone and bored, during the numerous dinners she had forced Zuko to eat after he had worked until the middle of the night, and on so many other occasions. It was as if only the thought of her girlfriend could keep her awake during her guarding duties.</p><p class="p1">"... Did you rave about me like this to her as well?" Zuko asked, honestly wondering.</p><p class="p1">Ren blinked, surprised by the sudden vulnerability. "I did. I couldn't go into too much details, but she knows how sweet you are," he said, and cupped Zuko's cheek.</p><p class="p1">Zuko leaned into the touch. "... I don't want her to be scared of me." <em>Like you used to be</em>, he didn't say. He felt like a child, not knowing how to make friends again.</p><p class="p1">Ren leaned in, putting a kiss on his forehead. "You're fine as you are, love," he said, and then stepped out of the tub as Suki called for dinner.</p><p class="p1"><em>I'm fine as I am</em>, Zuko repeated in his head, trying to shake himself up.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Feels good to have them happy again!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0026"><h2>26. Chapter 26</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p class="p1">Just as they were changing to go to bed, Ren remembered he had something for Zuko.</p><p class="p1">"Hey, look what I found," he said, and handed him two masks.</p><p class="p1">Zuko's eyes went as round as pebbles. "Agni! They're still selling them?!"</p><p class="p1">The new red and blue demon masks looked exactly like their old ones, not a single detail changed.</p><p class="p1">"I thought we should bring them with us," Ren said, "In case we want to have another date on someone's rooftop."</p><p class="p1">Zuko looked at him, the masks slipping out of his hands, and lovingly kissed him. Tongues lingered against each other, and breaths melted together. They walked backward to Ren's old bed, way too small to fit two adults.</p><p class="p1">"Are you sure you don't want to sleep on futons instead?" Ren asked when Zuko bumped his head against the headboard.</p><p class="p1">"It's just for one night," Zuko assured, pulling him over his chest, "Let me live my fantasy of growing up here with you."</p><p class="p1">Ren snorted. "So you too dreamed of sneaking into your <em>best buddy</em>'s bed at night, uh?"</p><p class="p1">"Hopefully my best buddy had fallen asleep with his shirt riding up to his neck," Zuko said, tenderly sliding his hand over Ren's chest.</p><p class="p1">"You naughty boy," Ren chuckled. "I thought you used to be so pure and naive!"</p><p class="p1">Zuko laughed. "Well I had no idea what I would want to do with that bare chest but I for sure wanted to see it!"</p><p class="p1">"So teaching me how to pray was just an excuse after all," Ren hummed, circling a finger over Zuko's chest.</p><p class="p1">Zuko looked away. "It wasn't an excuse, it was <em>the greatest plan</em>."</p><p class="p1">Ren laughed, and reached for a kiss. They fell asleep holding hands, Zuko cradling Ren at the rhythm of his slow breathing.</p><p class="p1">They left early the next morning, and headed west from Shu Jing, on frogponies. They were easy mounts to ride, perfect for both Ren and Kaguya who had absolutely no experience riding anything. They would travel from island to island, from the east to the west, through the southern regions of the Fire Nation.</p><p class="p1">"Oh fuck, my back is killing me," Zuko complained once they took their lunch break.</p><p class="p1">"I <em>do not</em> want to know that," Suki said, pulling the dishes out of the bags and setting them on a blanket.</p><p class="p1">Zuko panicked. "What? No! No I wasn't—! We didn't—!" He glanced at Kaguya, feeling his cheeks burn, but she was busy talking to Ren about which flavor of tea they should have as dessert. He sighed with relief, focusing back on stirring his pot. Looking at the gorgeous red shade of the sauce, he realized he might have been a little heavy-handed on the spice.</p><p class="p1">"Uhhhh, I apologize in advance," he said, and Suki immediately smacked him on the arm, rolling her eyes, and then shoved him on the ground once she saw how bad his mistake was.</p><p class="p1">Kaguya gasped loudly, looking at them, but Ren reassured her. "They're always like this."</p><p class="p1">"Is—is this really okay?"</p><p class="p1">"Soon you'll be able to smack him as well," Suki said while she twisted his arm back, making him yelp.</p><p class="p1">"Yeah, he'd like that very much," Ren added, an evil grin on his lips. Zuko sputtered, all the blood in his body rushing to his face.</p><p class="p1">"What?! No I—! I don't—!" <em>Thanks for helping me make friends</em>, he thought, yielding under Suki's attacks.</p><p class="p1">She luckily had acclimated quite a lot to spicy food by that point, and was able to eat her lunch. They climbed back on the frogponies and moved forward, their destination for the night only a few hours away.</p><p class="p1">"I didn't know you did archery," Kaguya said, glancing at Ren's bow on his back. He was sporting his old travel clothes and a long braid, a hood ready to be pulled up to cover himself at any moment.</p><p class="p1">"I learned during the war," he replied, pulling the bow out to hand it to her.</p><p class="p1">She tried pulling on the string, but it was surprisingly taut. "Is there a thing you can't do?" she said, genuinely impressed.</p><p class="p1">"Wrestling," Suki replied for him, and Zuko chuckled.</p><p class="p1">Ren threw them a look. "Yeah, I'm terrible at hands to hands combat."</p><p class="p1">Kaguya frowned with worry. "Will it be okay if we get attacked?"</p><p class="p1">Although disguised as a little trip with his friends, Zuko's honeymoon was serious business. There was a very high chance that he would be recognized somewhere along the way, and that the Ozai loyalists would take the chance to mascarade his assassination as an accident during his trip.</p><p class="p1">"Good luck to them catching Ren first!" Suki said, cheerful.</p><p class="p1">"Yesterday was just for fun, I'm much more serious when it's real," Ren assured, taking her hand and rubbing his thumb over her knuckles.</p><p class="p1">Kaguya still wasn't convinced, so Zuko looked at her and said, "I have the two best fighters in the Fire Nation by my side, it should be fine."</p><p class="p1">Suki blushed deeply at the compliment. "I don't think I deserve—"</p><p class="p1">"You do," Zuko and Ren both said at the same time.</p><p class="p1">Kaguya chuckled, seeing her girlfriend crumble under the praise.</p><p class="p1">They arrived at the inn during dinner time, Suki leading the frogponies to the stables while Ren went to the front desk to reserve two bedrooms. Waiting outside, Kaguya and Zuko didn't know what to say to each other. Zuko looked at what he could see from the small fishing village, while Kaguya took a sudden interest in leveling the sandy ground she was standing on with her soles.</p><p class="p1">"They have adjacent rooms!" Ren came back trotting, breaking the awkward silence. "And they're serving dumplings!"</p><p class="p1">"Oh Agni I'm starving!" Kaguya said, so glad he was back.</p><p class="p1">They went to their rooms, leaving the dividing screens open to make for one big room, and ate dinner together. Zuko held to his habit of keeping everyone's plate full, especially Kaguya's.</p><p class="p1">"<em>You eat so well</em>," he marveled once he had lost count of her servings, sparkles in his eyes.</p><p class="p1">This made her heart skip a beat. "Ahem—" she choked, "My Lord?"</p><p class="p1">Ren smiled. "It's a compliment." Zuko and Kaguya both blushed from ear to ear.</p><p class="p1">"Uuhh yeah! It's a compliment! It's good! It's a good thing!" Zuko sputtered, unable to believe he had said it aloud. "And please call me by my name!"</p><p class="p1">She gasped. "Agni! I daren't!"</p><p class="p1">Zuko <em>pouted</em>. "... Please?" he almost said, but caught himself before he could sound even more ridiculous.</p><p class="p1">"It makes me feel like a princess, saying 'Your Highness' this, 'My Lord' that," she said, a small smile on her lips. Suki and Ren both chuckled.</p><p class="p1">It was Zuko's turn to feel his heart skip a beat. "O-okay," he said, hoping that his burning cheeks weren't too noticeable.</p><p class="p1">Suki and Ren exchanged a knowing look, smirking. They were just so damn proud of Kaguya and her way of making anyone's head spin.</p><p class="p1">After dinner, Kaguya and Suki lazily lay on the tatami mats while Zuko played pai sho with Ren.</p><p class="p1">"So what's the plan for tomorrow?" Ren asked, shaking his head as he realized he now sucked really bad at that game.</p><p class="p1">"Visiting and then taking the boat at sunset," Suki replied, Kaguya's hands soothingly running through her hair.</p><p class="p1">"I saw a bookshop sign on our way here," Zuko said, placing a tile on the board.</p><p class="p1">Ren and Kaguya both perked up. "Really?" she asked, "Could we go there tomorrow?"</p><p class="p1">Zuko smiled at her. "Of course!"</p><p class="p1">"But won't they recognize you?" she asked, frowning.</p><p class="p1">"You could wear the mask," Ren snorted, putting another tile down. Zuko chuckled.</p><p class="p1">"The mask?"</p><p class="p1">Ren pointed at his bag. "It's in here, it's the blue one."</p><p class="p1">Kaguya went to look for the mask and quickly pulled it out. "Oh, it's scary-looking."</p><p class="p1">"We used to wear these when we went on missions together," Ren told her.</p><p class="p1">"Oh, really?" She put the mask against her face, unconcealable smile making her words curl. "Wow! I can't see a thing in this! The eyeholes are so small!" she said through the wood, then handed him the mask. "Can you really fight in this?"</p><p class="p1">Ren frowned, taking it and holding it in front of his face. "Yeah—uh... Actually, I don't think I even need to see anything in combat," he said, confusion giving his brows all sorts of shapes. "I—Yeah, I navigate by sound, I think? I've never really thought about this before."</p><p class="p1">"Oh? Kinda like Toph, then?" Suki asked. Ren nodded, still not sure of how he had never realized.</p><p class="p1">"You're like a crowbat!" Kaguya exclaimed, holding her hands together.</p><p class="p1">A pause.</p><p class="p1">"Yeah, like a crowbat," Ren said, a violent wave of affection rising in his heart. How was it so easy to be himself around Kaguya? He loved her so much.</p><p class="p1">"She's such a good friend," Zuko said as he held Ren in bed that night, a hand resting over his head. "I think I see why you like her so much."</p><p class="p1">Ren smiled fondly. "And you haven't seen much yet. Honestly, if I were into girls <em>I would be so madly in love with her</em>."</p><p class="p1">And even if Zuko wasn't into girls either, he could perfectly picture the feeling, too.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0027"><h2>27. Chapter 27</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p class="p1">"What?! What are you even talking about?" Kaguya exclaimed, looking at Ren with the roundest eyes.</p>
<p class="p1">"No! I mean! Hypothetically!"</p>
<p class="p1">Zuko tilted his head, looking between the dividing screen, confused. It was the next morning, and Kaguya was doing her friend's hair before they would head out. Ren gritted his teeth when he saw his lover, facepalming inside.</p>
<p class="p1">"What are you talking about?" Zuko echoed Kaguya, entering the room.</p>
<p class="p1">"Uuuuuuh," is all Ren could say, panicking. "I—uh, nothing, really!"</p>
<p class="p1">Zuko squinted, glancing at Kaguya.</p>
<p class="p1">"She's talking about incest," she said, nodding with reverence.</p>
<p class="p1">"WHAT! No! I'm not!" Ren exclaimed, shocked by her betrayal.</p>
<p class="p1">"She said, quote, <em>so if Master Piandao is like a father figure to me, and Lord Iroh is like a father figure to Fire Lord Zuko, then—</em>" Ren cut her off, smacking his hand over her mouth.</p>
<p class="p1">Zuko frowned, confused. "What's with them?"</p>
<p class="p1">"Kaguya! I haven't told him—!" Ren whispered between his teeth.</p>
<p class="p1">Zuko sat down next to Ren, tilting his head into his space. "Told me what?"</p>
<p class="p1">Oops. Kaguya looked at Ren with pleading eyes, apologizing silently.</p>
<p class="p1">"Ah, hahahahaha! Nothing! How about we head out now, mmh? We got a long day ahead!" He stood up, his hair only half-done, then quickly pulled the rest of it into a messy bun and ran downstairs. Suki was paying for the rooms and saw him dart outside.</p>
<p class="p1">Kaguya looked at Zuko, who returned her stunned look. "Anyway, your turn to sit down now!" she told him, and a few moments later, he was sporting a side part and a long braid snaking over his shoulder, his hair hiding most of his scar.</p>
<p class="p1">"Smoking hot!" Suki exclaimed when he joined her outside, Ren only looking up once he heard her. He had to stop his jaw from dropping, seeing Zuko all <em>sexy</em> like that.</p>
<p class="p1">"Oh sweetie, let me fix this mess real quick," Kaguya said, readjusting his hairpin.</p>
<p class="p1">"Did you tell him?" Ren whispered.</p>
<p class="p1">"No, your secret is still safe!" Kaguya chuckled. Ren sighed, hoping that Zuko wouldn't press the matter. The news was definitely not his to tell.</p>
<p class="p1">"Here you go, now you look decent again," she said, patting him on the shoulder.</p>
<p class="p1">He was wearing his favorite green kimono, simple enough for the day but still finely embroidered with pink and white thread, with some light touches of red. Kaguya was wearing a matching set, with orange and gold motifs. They definitely stood out in the crowd, the fashion of the capital city having yet to reach that far into the countryside. Here, everybody still wore brown, black and deep red, just as they were during the war. It was ridiculous to think that the fishermen and women living in this small town had any spare change to spend in trendy outfits. Zuko was worried, looking at the buildings threatening to fall down, at the shop facades, crooked and in a need of a good paint job. His eyes were everywhere, trying to look for beggars and thieves, trying to gauge how wide the wealth gap was and if his efforts to narrow it had paid, even just a little.</p>
<p class="p1">"Agni! Ren! They have the first edition of '<em>Maybe You're The Reason</em>'!" Kaguya gasped as she browsed the few books on display in front of the bookshop.</p>
<p class="p1">"Is that...is that <em>vintage sewing manuals</em>?" Ren asked, his eyes opened wide.</p>
<p class="p1">Suki glanced at Zuko. "Hey, shall we take a walk while these two nerds gush over books for two hours?"</p>
<p class="p1">Zuko snorted. "Yeah, yeah, let's do that."</p>
<p class="p1">The town was small enough that they could walk to the edge of it in just ten minutes. Shading himself under the trees, Zuko hummed, "I wonder what will tell me that this is the one, you know."</p>
<p class="p1">Suki agreed. "Yeah, it's hard to tell, uh? The people here are fine, the layout is fine, the land is fine. Not strategically very sound to be so close the Earth Kingdom, though."</p>
<p class="p1">"Yeah. But other than that, it could be it, right?"</p>
<p class="p1">"Would you want to live here?" she asked, and Zuko took a moment to think.</p>
<p class="p1">"Nah. I'm fed up of the sea."</p>
<p class="p1">Suki hummed. "We won't find anything until we reached Shuhon, then." It was the second biggest island of the Fire Nation archipelago, south east of the Great Gates of Azulon, where a long time ago, the Gaang had fought Combustion Man for the first time and Toph had managed to scam an entire town.</p>
<p class="p1">Zuko's idea was to put the new capitale as far as possible from the old one, while still getting protection from the surroundings. The two most likely places the city could move to were Shuhon and the southern most tip of the country, where Zuko and Katara had once gone to hoping that she could get the revenge she needed on her mother's death.</p>
<p class="p1"><em>Is there even one place in this country that doesn't reek of past hate?</em> Zuko wondered, lost in his thoughts.</p>
<p class="p1">"What place would you like to live in, then?" Suki asked, picking up a dead branch on the ground.</p>
<p class="p1">"Mmh. A forest? Something surrounded by trees," Zuko said, looking up at the canopy above him. "There was a place—I remember, it was such a fiasco—you know, when I was trying to capture Aang?"</p>
<p class="p1">"Oh yeah, I know for sure," Suki giggled.</p>
<p class="p1">"There was a river, with beautiful falls in the middle of a forest—it was gorgeous! My uncle and I lost a boat in it, though." Suki laughed at that. "Yeah, I'd like something like that. Somewhere where grass and trees and flowers grow, not that deserted landscape we have in the caldera."</p>
<p class="p1">"You want life," Suki said, looking at him with genuine affection. "I want that too."</p>
<p class="p1">
  <em>Life.</em>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <em>That does sound right.</em>
</p>
<p class="p1">"What kind of house do you want?" Zuko asked her, picking up a branch as well and lazily sparring with her.</p>
<p class="p1">"A big house! With an army of kids in it!" she replied, gesturing so wide she almost poked him in the face with her branch.</p>
<p class="p1">Zuko smiled, his heart clenching a little. He wished he wanted kids the way she did.</p>
<p class="p1">"Oh, and Kaguya wants a bath big enough to put all our fifty kids at the same time in it!"</p>
<p class="p1">"That's not a bath, that's a pool!" Zuko observed, chuckling.</p>
<p class="p1">"The world's biggest bath!" she declaimed, disarming Zuko in one quick wrist move.</p>
<p class="p1">Zuko laughed, a good laugh that came from within his heart, for the first time since a long, long time. It had been a rough couple of months, with the wedding and everything, and he was so thankful to get the opportunity to spend time with his friends, free of most obligations.</p>
<p class="p1"><em>Life, uh. </em>Yeah, he felt alive again.</p>
<p class="p1">That night, as he snuggled close to Ren on the boat leading them to the neighboring island, he asked, "So what was that about, this morning?"</p>
<p class="p1">Ren rolled his eyes behind his closed lids, praying. "Zuko, I—I can't—"</p>
<p class="p1">"Master Piandao and Uncle?"</p>
<p class="p1">Ren looked at him in the dark, trying to understand what Zuko knew already.</p>
<p class="p1">"I mean, I don't know, but Uncle did suddenly start giving me regular news about him, so I thought, maybe..."</p>
<p class="p1">"If you go straight to the point I might be able to confirm or deny your hypothesis," Ren said, trying to keep a neutral voice. Internally, he was panicking.</p>
<p class="p1">"Well, Uncle is straight, right? So that wouldn't hold up."</p>
<p class="p1">"Is he?" Ren blurted before he could stop himself.</p>
<p class="p1">"Is he not? He used to be married—wait, so you do know something!"</p>
<p class="p1">"Shhh," one of the people trying to sleep said, and both Zuko and Ren whispered a small 'sorry' as an apology.</p>
<p class="p1">"So," Zuko whispered close to Ren's ear. "Are they dating?"</p>
<p class="p1">Ren mentally apologized to his sword master and then said, "Yeah. For quite some time, apparently. Master told me he's thinking of moving to Ba Sing Se, next year maybe."</p>
<p class="p1"><em>Oh?</em> Zuko smiled at the news, his heart filling with warmth. He hugged Ren a little tighter, not knowing what to do of this sudden happiness.</p>
<p class="p1">Everywhere around him, people were moving on from the war, and scars were fading, slowly but surely. Zuko fell asleep with a smile on his lips, cuddling the love of his life with no reason to fear anything.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0028"><h2>28. Chapter 28</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>cw: they skin two hares, no graphic description.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p class="p1">They travelled all day the next day, the landscape not much different from the previous island, Kaguya still marveling at every new thing on the way.</p>
<p class="p1">"Those flowers are huge!" she exclaimed, pointing at a sunflower field. Her frogpony went the opposite way for a few steps before Suki caught its reins and led it straight again.</p>
<p class="p1">Ren smiled, the gorgeous shade of yellow reflecting on his eyes. "I had to make a sunflower wedding gown last month, it was gorgeous!"</p>
<p class="p1">Kaguya clutched her heart. "Ohh, now I want one!"</p>
<p class="p1">Suki snorted. "Patience, young lady! Your turn will come, sooner or later!"</p>
<p class="p1">"And when it comes," Ren said, "I will make you a gown so grandiose you'll look like royalty! With sunflowers <em>and</em> dragons <em>and</em> phenixes!"</p>
<p class="p1">Were there dragons on his wedding robes? Zuko thought about it, but he couldn't even recall what motif he was wearing at the ceremony.</p>
<p class="p1">"Oh no no no, no phenixes! Are you out of your mind?!" she gasped, glancing at Zuko with fear. "It's the royal symbol!"</p>
<p class="p1">Ren looked at Zuko, raising an eyebrow. "Didn't you say it was fine now?"</p>
<p class="p1">Zuko smiled. "Yeah. Phenixes are for everyone."</p>
<p class="p1">Kaguya shook her head slowly, closing her eyes in an expression reminding Zuko of when his old poetry teacher thought he had made such a mistake she was going to get fired. He sighed, thinking of the old woman, the closest thing he had ever had to a grandma. "Agni created phenixes to communicate with us, they're just messengers. Anyone can receive the blessings of Agni, so why would only the royal family wear them on their clothing?"</p>
<p class="p1">Kaguya held a hand in front of her mouth. "I... This is so blasphemous I don't know what to say," she whispered, but Zuko still heard, and chuckled. She reminded him of a younger Ren, and the fervent devotion he had found once Zuko had taught him how to pray.</p>
<p class="p1">Zuko, of course, still believed in Agni. Who else would have given him his firebending abilities? But after the war, he had found himself in the strange position of being worshipped as a god, out of respect to the descendant of Agni, but also out of fear, because he was now the Fire Lord, and his entire people had been taught to fear their leader. And that, he wanted to make it stop.</p>
<p class="p1">But so far, he thought as he looked at Kaguya chatting with Ren, his mission hadn't proved much effective. People were still praying for him every morning and prostrating in front of his portraits, in the temples all over the nation. He wasn't loosing hope though.</p>
<p class="p1">At night, the group camped near a river in the forest, after Ren had caught a couple of butterflyhares. Suki helped him skin them while Zuko and Kaguya put the tent up, awkwardly trying to make conversation.</p>
<p class="p1">"So hum, Suki told me you two wanted to have kids, right?" Zuko said, trying to find any kind of coherent thread of conversation that wouldn't die right off.</p>
<p class="p1">Kaguya lit up. "Oh! Yeah! We want lots of them! A huge family!" she said, "We were both only childs in our families, and we're the last remains of our bloodlines. Gotta make lots of kids!"</p>
<p class="p1">Zuko smiled, not knowing what else to do. He briefly wished he had been an only child, and shoved that thought away.</p>
<p class="p1">"And you?" Kaguya asked before thinking.</p>
<p class="p1">"Oh uh... I, uhm, it's not that I hate kids—but uhm, I shouldn't have too many... You know, succession wars and stuff. An only child is probably better."</p>
<p class="p1">"Oh! Oh right! I didn't think about that," she said, knocking on her forehead. Zuko wanted to melt, watching her being all cute like this.</p>
<p class="p1">"But Ren..." she said a while later, "She has to have kids, right?"</p>
<p class="p1">Zuko nodded, the shine in his his eyes turning a little dull. "Yeah. He has to, somehow."</p>
<p class="p1">Kaguya reached toward his elbow, hovering her hand over his sleeve in some sort of comforting but not touchy gesture. "Sucks being gay sometimes, mmh?"</p>
<p class="p1">That, Zuko could relate to it, for sure. He put his warm hand on hers, pressing it down gently against his arm, and strangely, the contact felt big enough to comfort all the sadness out of his heart.</p>
<p class="p1">He sighed, but with a smile on his lips.</p>
<p class="p1">On the other side of the campfire, Ren and Suki were hard at work.</p>
<p class="p1">"You're so efficient," Suki remarked, looking at the almost entirely skinned hare in Ren's hands while she hadn't even done half of hers.</p>
<p class="p1">"Got quite a lot of practice when I was with the Freedom Fighters," Ren said, his hands keeping a steady pace.</p>
<p class="p1">"When you were with the infamous Jet? The one Zuko hates?"</p>
<p class="p1">Ren raised an eyebrow. "Did he tell you about him?"</p>
<p class="p1">Suki grinned. "Oh yeah, he <em>told</em> me! They had some beef, for sure!"</p>
<p class="p1">"Yeah," Ren chuckled, "It wasn't a friendship that was meant to be."</p>
<p class="p1">"But you, you were his friend, right?"</p>
<p class="p1">Ren sighed. "Yeah it's... complicated. I don't know if he really liked me as a friend or if he just thought I was a pretty girl and wanted to date me."</p>
<p class="p1">"Oh." Suki pinched her lips together for a second. "Yeah. I know the feeling. Boys are all like that."</p>
<p class="p1">Ren squinted, looking at nothing. "They are. Right? They all are! Why would they even think girls would be interested in them? They all treat them like meat."</p>
<p class="p1">"Yeah, right! They're just hungry dogs looking for food, they never think about our feelings!" She sat back, and looked up at the sky. "Men are trash."</p>
<p class="p1">Ren laughed. He had never really allowed himself to process his feelings about Jet, and he felt relieved hearing Suki's support.</p>
<p class="p1">"Except Zuko and Sokka," Suki added after a while, focusing back on her task.</p>
<p class="p1">Ren frowned, cutting the pieces of meat with more force than needed. "Mmh," is all he said, and Suki knew she shouldn't have brought up Sokka.</p>
<p class="p1">It started raining after dinner, a warm, cosy rain of summer, and they all sat inside the tent, spacious enough for all them to gather in circle and play cards, lit by an oil lamp hanging from the ceiling.</p>
<p class="p1">Zuko and Suki had debated bringing two smaller tents instead of one big one, but in the end, they thought they would mostly use it as a backup plan and stay at inns as often as they could. Now that Suki knew how soft the Fire Nation futons were, she wanted to sleep on nothing but them, as much as possible.</p>
<p class="p1">Over the card game, Ren started chatting with Kaguya about wedding gowns again.</p>
<p class="p1">"So pearls, or silk thread embroidery?"</p>
<p class="p1">"Both!" she laughed, "How could I pick only one!"</p>
<p class="p1">"Fuck, I should start working on it right now then," he sighed dramatically.</p>
<p class="p1">Kaguya smirked, knowing she would always have her way. "As long as it doesn't take you more than twenty years, it's fine," she said with a shrug, and placed her card on the center pile.</p>
<p class="p1">Seeing that Suki said nothing, Zuko frowned. "You plan to get married in twenty years?"</p>
<p class="p1">Kaguya nodded as she took all the cards, winning the round. "Yeah, we want kids first."</p>
<p class="p1">It didn't make much sense to Zuko, still.</p>
<p class="p1">“With the law being what it is," Suki explained, "the father of our kids could come at anytime and claim his parenthood. It would make us lose the child’s custody. Somehow it’s easier for us to have all of our kids outside of a marriage first and then get married later.”</p>
<p class="p1">“And we want a ton of kids!” Kaguya exclaimed, “So that’s gonna take a long time.”</p>
<p class="p1">Zuko took a mental note to look at that law in detail when he'd come back. “Do you have a specific man in mind?” he asked after playing, thinking that they should probably get around to having the first one soon, if the number of kids Suki had said she wanted was any indication.</p>
<p class="p1">“No,” Kaguya lamented, taking her own cheeks between her hands. “Men are trash.”</p>
<p class="p1">Suki and Ren laughed out loud, and Zuko felt his heart clutch at her cuteness, once again.</p>
<p class="p1">“He has to be handsome," she said, "and nice, and funny, and someone we can trust, and also it would be nice if he could help us financially...”</p>
<p class="p1">“No wonder you haven’t found anybody,” Ren said with laughing eyes.</p>
<p class="p1">Zuko thought for a moment, and finally asked, “Is it really impossible to find?” His tone was cautious, but full of intent.</p>
<p class="p1">Ren looked at him, surprised. What was he implying?</p>
<p class="p1">Suki got the hint. “Well, there’s somebody, but he’s not single and we wouldn’t dare asking.”</p>
<p class="p1">The corner of Zuko’s lips curled. “You should. It does no harm asking.”</p>
<p class="p1">Kaguya figured it out too. “Oh! I've never thought about that! That’s a great idea!”</p>
<p class="p1">Ren looked at each of them, in total confusion.</p>
<p class="p1">Suki chuckled and said, “There’s someone here who wants to make a ton of kids, and someone else who <em>needs</em> to make a ton of kids.”</p>
<p class="p1">Oh.</p>
<p class="p1">Ren's eyes opened wide, and a full-body blush bloomed all over his skin.</p>
<p class="p1">“A-are you asking—<em>me?</em> to—to get Kaguya <em>pregnant</em>?!”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>If anyone's still reading this, it would mean the world to me if I could get any comment from you ;-;</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0029"><h2>29. Chapter 29</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>tw: vomit for a couple of sentences</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p class="p1">Okay, okay, so maybe, instantly running away wasn't the most tactful reaction at the idea of having sex with his best friend, but fuck, what was he supposed to do instead?!</p>
<p class="p1">Ren stopped on his tracks before he ran too far and crossed the river, forcing himself to think rationally. His mind was in shambles, throwing too many words around at the same time. He wouldn't be able to catch onto anything coherent before calming down, so he focused on his breathing first. The rain was heavy and grim, and he amplified its hum around him, trying to drown his internal panic.</p>
<p class="p1">There, in a grey bubble of loud noise, he allowed himself to think.</p>
<p class="p1">Yeah, he knew it. He'd already come to that conclusion years ago. He <em>had</em> to have kids, it was his duty toward the world and his ancestors, toward his parents and toward Aang. He had no choice.</p>
<p class="p1">But he felt like puking every time he would think about it, because he felt trapped, <em>violated</em>. Violated that he had no choice but to have sex with a woman, violated that the choice to become a parent had been stolen from him, violated that his destiny was already traced before he was even born.</p>
<p class="p1">He sat down on his heels, taking himself into his own arms, and allowed himself to cry, tears melting with the droplets of the rain.</p>
<p class="p1">Did his mother ever feel like this? What would she have said to him? He didn't remember much from his father, so he didn't really know if his parents had been in love. Were they? Or was he born because his mother had to continue the bloodline, no matter what?</p>
<p class="p1">As a surge to puke rose from within, he felt tiny hands rub his back, sliding up to catch his hair as he bent forward and emptied his stomach in the river.</p>
<p class="p1">"REN!" his friend shouted over the rain, "ARE YOU OKAY?"</p>
<p class="p1">Heaving, he turned around and saw Kaguya crouching behind him, squinting as if it would cover her ears while she had her hands full.</p>
<p class="p1">"Sorry," he said, and immediately dropped the soundbending.</p>
<p class="p1">"Oh? It was you making all that noise?" she asked, blinking. "Oh Agni, my ears are ringing now!"</p>
<p class="p1">Ren wiped his hands on his tunic and held her temples, massaging the pain away. "Yeah, sorry, it was me. The noise helps me think."</p>
<p class="p1">She chuckled. "Does it?" The rain was dripping on her face, her long hair swayed over her left shoulder.</p>
<p class="p1">"You're going to catch a cold," Ren said, even though the rain was warm.</p>
<p class="p1">"I'm not going back inside until I know you're fine," she replied, gently wrapping her hands around his wrists.</p>
<p class="p1">He sighed. "Sorry, yeah, I—I panicked a bit."</p>
<p class="p1">She looked down. "I... I know it's weird, I mean, we literally asked you to have sex with me—but... I mean I completely understand if you don't want to! You have every right to say no! It's fine, we'll find someone else! But..."</p>
<p class="p1">Ren tilted his head, waiting for her to finish her thought. "But?"</p>
<p class="p1">Kaguya's chin trembled a little. "... Is the thought of having sex with me really that disgusting?" Ren opened his eyes wide. "I mean! You just—you just puked, at the thought of doing it with me? Look I, I understand you prefer men—"</p>
<p class="p1">"No! No no no, oh dear," Ren stumbled, "It doesn't—it's not about you!" Kaguya looked hurt, and pulled her hands away. "No I—I just panicked, I need, I need time—I need time to think."</p>
<p class="p1">And because Kaguya was a really, really good friend, she didn't immediately run away. "Do you really hate the idea so much?"</p>
<p class="p1">Ren closed his eyes and sighed, the word seething on his tongue. "... Yeah."</p>
<p class="p1">Kaguya gulped down, and slowly stood up. "Let's... Let's go back and change clothes, okay?"</p>
<p class="p1">Ren shook his head slowly. "No I... I'll stay here for a while."</p>
<p class="p1">Kaguya bit her bottom lip, and then left. Her steps were drowned by the sound of the rain, so Ren jumped when he saw a blade come into his line of sight.</p>
<p class="p1">"Here," she said, handing him one of his sabers, "Just in case. I—I'll tell the Fire Lord you'll be back soon."</p>
<p class="p1">And then she left for good.</p>
<p class="p1">Ren curled up on himself, gripping his hair.</p>
<p class="p1">
  <em>I'm such an asshole.</em>
</p>
<p class="p1">In the tent, Kaguya rushed to hug Suki, in tears. Her girlfriend cradled her and hummed soothing words, while Zuko, at first cautiously, came closer and warmed her up, drying her clothes and her hair. They fell asleep with the futons right next to each other, Zuko looking at the two women and trying to make sense of Ren's reaction. In the end, he was still awake when Ren came back, a couple hours before sunrise. He lay down silently, directly on the ground as he did not want to wet a futon for nothing, and fell asleep in an instant. He had come to bed with dirt on his feet and leaves in his hair, but when he woke up, he was clean again, and the smell of a hearty breakfast was filling up the tent.</p>
<p class="p1">They travelled a whole week with a very gloomy Ren, stopping at two different towns on the way, before they took the boat once again, for Shuhon this time. Zuko and Suki often tried to get everyone to talk, bringing up old anecdotes or pointing at the landscape, but Ren looked like he wasn't even hearing them. Kaguya felt a constant knot in her chest, wanting, needing to talk with him but not knowing how to engage.</p>
<p class="p1">On Shuhon, they quickly traversed a town that was called Fire Fountain City, Zuko having decided as soon as he had stepped foot on land that it was definitely not the place he was looking for. Indeed, there was a huge statue of his father in the middle of the town, constantly emitting fire through his mouth like a dragon. Everyone winced looking at that, and moved along, the frogponies happy to walk on land again. They headed south, through a dense forest. Shuhon was the least volcanic island of the archipelago, and the slopes of the hills were much gentler on their mounts, so they were optimistic about reaching the south in a couple of days. But they quickly realized that the thick vegetation would not let them pass through that easily.</p>
<p class="p1">"Fucking hell, this place is a jungle," Suki complained after almost taking a branch to the face, walking in front of everyone so that she could open the path.</p>
<p class="p1">"We should stop for the night," Zuko said, "The sun will set in no more than an hour."</p>
<p class="p1">Kaguya looked up, failing to see the sky through the thick leaves. Then she glanced at Ren, but he didn't notice her, just like he hadn't for the past few days. He looked dangerously stuck in his own thoughts, and Kaguya wanted to reach out, but didn't feel strong enough to do so.</p>
<p class="p1">All of a sudden, though, he spoke.</p>
<p class="p1">"There's a town ahead," he said, with a voice rough from not having said anything for too long.</p>
<p class="p1">Suki looked back at him, surprised. "How do you know?"</p>
<p class="p1">A crowbat replied for him, croaking just above her head.</p>
<p class="p1">Zuko gave his lover a small, trusting smile. "Let's move forward, then."</p>
<p class="p1">They arrived by nightfall.</p>
<p class="p1">The town was nothing like anything they'd seen before. The houses were really old, made of wood and straw instead of metal and stone, and looked straight out of a fairytale book. The only similar thing Zuko had ever seen before were the villas on Ember Island, but even that didn't come close. The roofs were covered in heavy, thick thatch, overhanging above large porches, where lanterns softly glowed over the front gardens. A few shops with huge paper lanterns punctuated the streets, but all of them were closed, at this time of the day. Several people stopped on their tracks, seeing the group cross the streets with all their bags and their mounts. The town looked surprisingly lively, considering how remote it was, and it was bigger than expect.</p>
<p class="p1">But there was no sign of any inn.</p>
<p class="p1">They walked down the streets, marveling with every turn at how lovely the place looked. Their path was mazy, the road following no definite pattern, as if each house had been placed there randomly. Nothing like the straight, busy high streets of the capitale. Zuko wondered if this place could be older than the first constitution, which had contained strictly defined urban planning for the past thousand years.</p>
<p class="p1">In the end, they didn't find any inn at all, so they changed tactics.</p>
<p class="p1">"Good evening," Suki called toward a woman sitting at her porch knitting.</p>
<p class="p1">The woman looked her up and down and tilted her head. "Good evening," she said with an accent that none of them had heard before. "How did you end up here? Are you lost?"</p>
<p class="p1">Suki smiled. "Hum, no, we're just visiting. Is there somewhere we could find a shelter for the night?"</p>
<p class="p1">The woman stood up and came closer. "What do you mean? Nobody visits this place," she said, confused but friendly.</p>
<p class="p1">Behind them, a teenager approached. "Hey Auntie, have you seen their horses? They look so weird!"</p>
<p class="p1">The group turned around, looking at the girl and wondering how she had never seen a frogpony before.</p>
<p class="p1">"Where do you guys come from?" she asked with the same strange accent.</p>
<p class="p1">"We're travelers," Zuko said, watching her squeal after one of the frogponies had caught a firefly with its longue tongue.</p>
<p class="p1">Her whole face brightened. "Travelers? Wow! We've never had travelers here before!"</p>
<p class="p1">"Chiyotsuru!" her aunt reprimanded, "You talk too much!"</p>
<p class="p1">The girl named Chiyotsuru—a very old-fashioned name—quietened, taking a few steps away for the frogponies. "Sorry," she said, looking at the group of travelers.</p>
<p class="p1">And that was when she finally noticed Ren.</p>
<p class="p1">Her eyes went wide, and she looked like she didn't know what to do with her arms anymore.</p>
<p class="p1">"I CAN'T BELIEVE MY EYES!" she shouted, and immediately ran away, screaming "GRANDMA! GRANDMA!" on her path.</p>
<p class="p1">"CHIYOTSURU!" her aunt called, for nothing. "Oh I'm so sorry! I don't know what's taking her!</p>
<p class="p1">Kaguya turned to Ren, blinking. "She seemed like she saw something on you?"</p>
<p class="p1">Ren looked back at her, for the first time in many days. "... Do I have something on my face?"</p>
<p class="p1">The teenager came back a few minutes later, completely out of breath, helping her very old grandma walk as fast as she could.</p>
<p class="p1">"You—!" the grandma shouted, pointing a trembling finger at Ren. "You're Dawa's child!"</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0030"><h2>30. Chapter 30</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p class="p1">How funny that his steps had led him back to this place, of all of the places in the world! On the road, Ren had just completely spaced out, not noticing how familiar that forest looked, or how friendly the crowbats were. It didn't hit him until that old woman shouted the name of his mother at him, and then all the memories came back.</p>
<p class="p1">This remote town was <em>his birth place</em>.</p>
<p class="p1">"Oh Agni bless us with your light! Dawa's child! Dawa's child came back! I can't believe my eyes!" the grandma exclaimed, rushing to hold both of his hands. "I prayed everyday, every single day for you to be safe!"</p>
<p class="p1">She bursted in tears, her knees giving out. Ren slowly lowered them both, tears rising in his eyes as well. She hugged him, hugged him like she had hugged him as a small child, twenty years before. It was strange, getting hugged by someone he should have memories of, but only brief flashes of smiles, of smells, of tastes remained.</p>
<p class="p1">"Do you remember anything?" she asked, sobbing.</p>
<p class="p1">Ren looked at her, their tears mirroring each other's. "Not much," he admitted, shaking his head.</p>
<p class="p1">Zuko kneeled down, his eyes a little wet as well. "Ma'am, what is this place called?"</p>
<p class="p1">"It has no name," the young Chiyotsuru said, kneeling down as well. "Nobody comes looking for it, only lost wanderers ever find us."</p>
<p class="p1">Grandma cradled Ren's hands with tenderness, rubbing her thumbs over his knuckles gently. "But you came back."</p>
<p class="p1">"It<span class="s1">—</span>It was by accident," Ren said, "We were indeed lost, but the crowbats told me there was a town ahead."</p>
<p class="p1">Grandma's grip on his hands tightened slightly. "The crowbats! So you too, have the ability to talk to them!"</p>
<p class="p1">Ren nodded, blushing. "Did... Did my mother have this ability as well?"</p>
<p class="p1">Grandma smiled brightly. "She did. Oh, let me tell you, she was amazing! I have so many stories! She lived here for almost a decade before she... Well, you know."</p>
<p class="p1">Ren nodded, sighing.</p>
<p class="p1">"Grandma!" the aunt called, "Are you going to keep chatting sitting in the dirt or are you coming inside like a decent human-being? By Agni's rays, you're even worse than Chiyo!"</p>
<p class="p1">Grandma laughed, with that old people's laugh that warms the heart and heals the soul. "Here, here, help me get on my legs," she told Ren, and they climbed the step of the porch together, the rest of the group following them.</p>
<p class="p1">They stayed up late, listening to the old woman tell them all about the times she shared with Ren's mother. She and her husband were lost into the woods when Grandma found them, and brought them back to the village. At first they were hesitant, always glancing behind their backs, always keeping aware of their surroundings, like anxious birds. After a couple of weeks they finally relaxed, and the village took them in, helping them build a house and settle down.</p>
<p class="p1">"They had a house?" Ren asked, fire in his eyes.</p>
<p class="p1">Grandma smiled. "Yes, sweetheart. It's still kept clean, and it's <em>yours</em>. I'll show you tomorrow."</p>
<p class="p1">His only memories with his mother had them playing, hunting or singing in the woods, so he had always thought his family used to be travelers.</p>
<p class="p1">"Your father was a smart man, very hard-working, he built most of it himself," Grandma said.</p>
<p class="p1">Ren looked at nothing. "I—I have no memories of him."</p>
<p class="p1">"His name was Satoru, he was a non-bender of Fire Nation descent. He and your mother were madly in love with each other, we used to gush over how cute they were, when they would steal a kiss thinking we didn't see," she giggled.</p>
<p class="p1">Relief filled Ren's heart. There, that was a doubt he could finally wave away.</p>
<p class="p1">"Dawa was an incredible woman, let me tell you. She was strong, and witty, and there was never a boring day with her by our side. She loved going fishing in the lake atop the mountain, and in the evening she would cook a feast with the meager food we have here. Kids loved her, and she loved them back."</p>
<p class="p1">Ren smiled, knowing how patient she used to be with him. "I need to see that lake again."</p>
<p class="p1">"She had such an usual name!" Kaguya said, holding her head with her hands, listening as ravenously as Ren. In fact, Suki, Zuko and Chiyotsuru were all sitting on the edge, fascinated by the stories. Only Chiyotsuru's aunt had called it a night, going to bed early.</p>
<p class="p1">"It's an Air Nomad's name, isn't it?" Grandma asked, looking at Ren in the eyes.</p>
<p class="p1">He took a sharp breath. "Yeah, it is."</p>
<p class="p1">"She tried to protect that secret as best as she could, you know. But she also wanted to teach you. You two would go to the lake and train together, but one day..."</p>
<p class="p1">Ren sighed, nodding. "I know. I remember everything. Fire Nation soldiers saw us and we ran away through the woods, but in the end it didn't matter. She was still found, my father tried to protect her, and they killed both of them."</p>
<p class="p1">Everyone kept silent for a while.</p>
<p class="p1">"What happened to you then?" Chiyotsuru ended up asking, curiosity burning her lips.</p>
<p class="p1">Ren raised an eyebrow, wondering all of a sudden how she had recognized him.</p>
<p class="p1">"Oh, uhm, Grandma told me all those stories before. She said your mother was a good person, and if I wanted to become a good person then I should be like her."</p>
<p class="p1">Grandma laughed, a little embarrassed. "Ahah yeah, talking too much is a common trait running in the family, as you can see!"</p>
<p class="p1">Ren smiled warmly, snorting. "My mother told me to stay hidden as long as I could, so I did that. Somehow I survived just fine, with the help of the crowbats."</p>
<p class="p1">"So she had taught you already, then?"</p>
<p class="p1">"I don't remember her teaching me that, but I guess, yeah. They helped me find food and shelter, and for roughly a year I lived in the woods. Then I got taken by some merchant and got sold and sent off to Shu Jing."</p>
<p class="p1">"Shu Jing?!" Grandma gasped, her hands jumping up. "Oh Agni, you were taken that far away? No wonder we never found you!"</p>
<p class="p1">Ren didn't think now was the time to tell her he had in fact been all over the world.</p>
<p class="p1">"But what were Fire Nation soldiers doing up here?" Zuko asked, thinking back to the story.</p>
<p class="p1">"No idea. They were probably lost. Since the war started, your parents were the only people we ever found who weren't Fire Nation soldiers. We used to find lost soldiers in the woods, either dead or alive, every couple of months or so. Weirdly enough, it stopped a few years ago. I guess they realized there wasn't anything they were looking for, up here."</p>
<p class="p1">Suki tilted her head. "Grandma. You... Do you not know that the war has ended?"</p>
<p class="p1">Grandma and Chiyotsuru both bumped their fists on the table, clatter echoing in the whole room. "WHAT?!"</p>
<p class="p1">"You're joking!" Chiyotsuru shouted.</p>
<p class="p1">"When?!" Grandma shouted as well.</p>
<p class="p1">The friend group laughed, Kaguya telling them, "Seven years ago!"</p>
<p class="p1">The sheer joy and relief that passed through their eyes felt like they could wash away any pain and heal any wound.</p>
<p class="p1">"Fire Lord Ozai has been defeated on the Day of the Comet," Zuko explained, "by the Avatar."</p>
<p class="p1">Grandma felt like she was dreaming. "The Avatar has <em>returned</em>?! Oh Agni, and soon you'll tell me dragons are alive again!"</p>
<p class="p1">Zuko grinned, emotion starting to fill his eyes again. "Well, Grandma, I got some news!"</p>
<p class="p1">A lot of tears were shed afterwards, waking Chiyotsuru's aunt in the middle of the night, who then went to wake the whole town and tell them the news. They all immediately started planning a feast for the next day, but when the sun came up, everybody was snoring away, catching up on the sleep they had missed.</p>
<p class="p1">Ren was the first to wake up, so he took the opportunity to take a walk down the street. The sun shone brighter in the mountain air, and a light breeze blowed over his hair as he walked, his steps deciding on their own where they wanted to go.</p>
<p class="p1">The town was already gorgeous by night, but it was <em>glorious</em> by day. The brown thatched roofs looked massive, the ancestral care given to them palpable. Ren could see some scaffolding on one of the houses, guessing it was probably time for this specific house to get its roof redone. He didn't know much about thatching, just that it had to get redone every thirty years or so. He passed in front of a very large house and wondered how many times that house had had its roof redone, how many cycles of thirty years had it known.</p>
<p class="p1">The roads were paved with large, round stones, flat enough to be easy on the feet, but sill looking organic and old. Everywhere Ren looked, there was some architectural detail that he had never seen anywhere else before. At some point, he reached out and touched one of the lampposts, to remind himself that yes, this was all real.</p>
<p class="p1">But what struck him the most, was <em>how</em> <em>nature</em> <em>was everywhere</em>. Every house was surrounded by a garden, full of flowers and vegetables, and trees shaded every street, marked every corner. Small rice paddies filled the spaces between houses, and a river with many bridges cut the town in half. On the sides of some smaller streets, narrow waterways had been digged, and they were so clean koi fish were happily swimming in them.</p>
<p class="p1">Ren realized it was the first time in his life he found a town that pretty, prettier even than all the forests he had been to before.</p>
<p class="p1">He sighed happily, stopping on his way to look at the view, hands on his hips, and then he turned around and realized... that he had literally no idea how to go back to Chiyotsuru's aunt's house.</p>
<p class="p1">"Ah, I guess I spent all my luck yesterday," he snorted, and then did what he would always do in these cases, and followed the crowbats.</p>
<p class="p1">There were <em>a lot</em> of them in this town. He guessed the people here didn't chase them away, like most people would. In the rest of the world, crowbats were considered bad luck, and people would often put up small bells on strings between roofs, the crowbats hating that sound. Here, there was no such thing.</p>
<p class="p1">They led him to a tall house, with a rather bare garden and closed shades.</p>
<p class="p1">Ren sighed. "That wasn't where I wanted to go!" he whined, looking at the birds. Then he noticed how numerous they were, all sitting on this huge roof. "Is it...? Where you all live?"</p>
<p class="p1">He took a closer look at the house. It looked empty, but not unkept.</p>
<p class="p1">... Was it—?</p>
<p class="p1">He stepped inside, and as expected, a small altar greeted him.</p>
<p class="p1">"She must have gone for a walk and got lost," Kaguya said over the breakfast, eyebrows knitted. She had just woken everybody up, seeing that Ren was missing.</p>
<p class="p1">"As long as she stayed in town, it's really hard to get lost here," Chiyotsuru said, but the three travelers weren't convinced. "Any idea what she would usually do if she got lost?"</p>
<p class="p1">They all thought for a moment, but they really had no idea.</p>
<p class="p1">Finally, Grandma gave her insight. "Dawa would have followed the crowbats," she said, and they decided to follow that lead.</p>
<p class="p1">It took them a good half hour to find a crowbat that would actually want to move instead of stealing food in one of the many raised beds, and then they finally found the house Ren was in.</p>
<p class="p1">"Oh! You found it by yourself!" Grandma laughed, a little out of breath.</p>
<p class="p1">He turned back from the altar, his knees tired from praying. Behind him, his friends saw a simple drawing of a man and a woman, the woman looking exactly like Ren, with the same white hair.</p>
<p class="p1">"Is this my parents' house?" he said, but it wasn't really a question.</p>
<p class="p1">"Yes," Grandma replied as she invited everyone to step inside, "and it's yours, too. Let me show you around."</p>
<p class="p1">She toured them all, Zuko sliding his hand in Ren's as he noticed he was trembling.</p>
<p class="p1">"This used to be your bedroom," she said, pointing at an empty tatami room on the second floor, with a bunch of wooden toys stored in the closet.</p>
<p class="p1">"This is where you were born," she said later, and Zuko and Ren both chuckled when they realized he had been born in a bathtub. That explained everything.</p>
<p class="p1">"And what is all of this?" Ren asked, when they stepped outside, behind the house. There was a skeleton of a new room, sheets of metal protecting raw beams from the rain.</p>
<p class="p1">Grandma paused. "This was supposed to be your sibling's room," she said after while, then she turned to Ren. "Your mother was expecting, when they took her away."</p>
<p class="p1">Ren felt the air knocked out of his chest. The world blurred around him, tears flowing down his cheeks, sunlight suddenly blocked as his knees gave out and he crouched down, holding his head. Zuko followed him down, holding him gently, the others not knowing what to do. He gestured and made them leave, and comforted Ren for a long, long time, hugging him with his whole body, peppering kisses on the side of his head, gently humming tender words until the tears started to fade away.</p>
<p class="p1">"Thank you," Ren mumbled, his nose full. "I'm sorry I keep crying."</p>
<p class="p1">Zuko chuckled. "Keep crying all you want, love. It's not everyday you find out about your parents."</p>
<p class="p1">Ren hummed, holding tight onto his back. "Can't believe I didn't look for them earlier. I thought I'd never find anything, so I'd already given all hopes up."</p>
<p class="p1">"And look at you now," Zuko said, caressing his hair, "standing on the wood boards your father made himself."</p>
<p class="p1">"They're the best wood boards in the world," Ren replied, all snotty.</p>
<p class="p1">"Yeah, they are. It's a gorgeous house," Zuko said between kisses on his lover's hair, voice oh so soft. "Would you like to live here?"</p>
<p class="p1">Ren nodded against his neck, sniffling. "... Yeah. I—I'd like that. I'd like that very much."</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>This chapter wrote itself, I had /nothing/ planned for it and I wrote it so fast I had to wait to post it! I'm really really happy about it, hope you liked it as well!<br/>The inspiration for the town comes from Shirakawago and Gujo-Hachiman, look them up, it's gorgeous!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0031"><h2>31. Chapter 31</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>cw: they mention the puking from two chapters ago</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p class="p1">"You should go bathe in our hot spring before we start preparing food for tonight," Chiyotsuru suggested as they came back. "You'll get the bath all to yourselves, this early in the morning!"</p>
<p class="p1">The bath house was a small, shabby building, with a sign so old the letters were discolored by the sun. Inside, there were shelves for the shoes and two doors, one with a white circle painted on it, the other with a red one.</p>
<p class="p1">The group looked at each other, confused.</p>
<p class="p1">“I guess that’s the old 'rising sun, setting sun' thing Uncle was talking about?” Zuko said.</p>
<p class="p1">“Yeah, but which one is which?” Ren asked. Zuko shrugged, having no clue.</p>
<p class="p1">“Chiyo said we’ve got the whole bath house for ourselves anyway, let’s just pick a side,” Suki said, and went through the red circle door.</p>
<p class="p1">Inside, there were no lockers, only baskets on shelves. Although the wood floor was visibly old, it had been well cleaned and the place smelled like soap. Zuko and Ren stripped quickly, hearing the girls talk from the other side.</p>
<p class="p1">“Did you pick red because of period blood?” Kaguya asked, giggling.</p>
<p class="p1">“What,” Suki snorted, raising an eyebrow. “It would make sense, don’t you think?”</p>
<p class="p1">“Then ‘rising’ would stand for...” They bursted in laughter before Kaguya finished her sentence.</p>
<p class="p1">Ren smiled, realizing how much he had missed hearing Kaguya laugh. She should never have to spend a day without laughing. But he dreaded talking to her, because he still hadn’t been able to sort his thoughts out.</p>
<p class="p1">He sighed as he rinsed his hair, sitting on a tiny stool next to Zuko.</p>
<p class="p1">“Feeling better?” Zuko asked, brushing some foam off his arm, fingers lingering with tenderness.</p>
<p class="p1">“Yeah. Feels like a weight I didn’t know I was carrying has been lifted off my shoulders.”</p>
<p class="p1">Zuko kissed the back of his neck and went into the bath, sighing happily as he sank down in the hot water. “Oooh you’re gonna love it!”</p>
<p class="p1">Ren followed him, and watched his own legs disappear in the foggy, white water. “Oh <em>fuck</em> it’s perfect!” he moaned, and threw his upper body forward, arms splayed out. “Agni, Zuko! I never wanna leave this place!”</p>
<p class="p1">Zuko wrapped his hands around his waist, kissing him on the cheek. “Good thing that’s the plan now.”</p>
<p class="p1">Their lips met, the kiss gentle and slow. They separated when they heard a door slide open, splashes of water coming from behind, and then, a loud gasp.</p>
<p class="p1">Reflexively, Ren stood up, water reaching mid-thigh, and turned toward the noise.</p>
<p class="p1">Kaguya was standing in the other side of the bath, naked, eyes as round as pebbles.</p>
<p class="p1">Funnily enough, she immediately covered her crotch with both hands and Ren reflexively hid his nipples with his palms, both of them effectively hiding nothing.</p>
<p class="p1">“AGNI!” they both shouted, at themselves and at each other.</p>
<p class="p1">It’s only Zuko’s laugh that made them snap out of it, when he pulled Ren down in the water again, covering his eyes with his other hand.</p>
<p class="p1">Ren blinked furiously, blush crimson red, while Kaguya hid her whole face behind her hands once she sat down.</p>
<p class="p1">“I am so sorry!” she said, horrified.</p>
<p class="p1">“No! It’s me!” Ren immediately replied.</p>
<p class="p1">Suki opened the door and stepped into the bath. “Oh it’s gender-neutral? I didn’t know these still existed!” she said, noticing Zuko and Ren, both turned away.</p>
<p class="p1">“Yeah,” Zuko said, “It must be the very last one in the country!”</p>
<p class="p1">“That’s... that’s great...” Kaguya said.</p>
<p class="p1">“Why are you hiding your face?” Suki asked, pulling her fingers away.</p>
<p class="p1">“For nothing!” Kaguya and Ren both blurted, far too loud to be convincing.</p>
<p class="p1"><em>Why the fuck did I stand up???</em> Ren screamed internally.</p>
<p class="p1"><em>She saw me naked, she must feel so disgusted!!!</em> Kaguya followed.</p>
<p class="p1">They then launched themselves into an intense duel of apologies, their faces turning more and more red as they spoke, with Zuko and Suki blinking in astonishment.</p>
<p class="p1">At some point, their words transformed into a deeply awkward silence, the tiles on the walls and floor making the tiniest sound echo like a wave.</p>
<p class="p1">Zuko and Suki glanced at each other, and then silently agreed.</p>
<p class="p1">"Suki I—I need my best bodyguard's advice on something, can I take you on a walk real quick?—I just remember there's something we really have to talk about and uh—"</p>
<p class="p1">"Yeah! Yes my Lord, let's go for a walk—where we can talk about that very important thing you have to talk to me about, sure!"</p>
<p class="p1">And then they turned around and fled.</p>
<p class="p1">"Oh fuck, I thought I was going to suffocate," Suki laughed as she stepped outside, wrapping her arms around herself.</p>
<p class="p1">Zuko laughed as well, stretching his back, and then offered his arm to Suki, inviting her for a proper walk. Chuckling, she took it and they went on their way, strolling around talking about nothing, patiently waiting for Ren and Kaguya to get their shit together.</p>
<p class="p1">Still in the bath, Kaguya and Ren looked at each other through their fingers, their hands covering their faces.</p>
<p class="p1">“I am so sorry,” Ren reiterated for the fifteenth time.</p>
<p class="p1">“No! It’s m—“</p>
<p class="p1">“I really didn’t mean to react like that—“</p>
<p class="p1">“No you didn’t—“</p>
<p class="p1">“I mean the other day,” he finally managed to say. She fell into silence, looking at him with caution.</p>
<p class="p1">“I’m sorry I couldn’t find anything to say to you for so long,” Ren said, “it was so lame.”</p>
<p class="p1">“No, it wasn’t. You took the time you needed to think.”</p>
<p class="p1">Ren shook his head. “But I still don’t know what to think.”</p>
<p class="p1">Kaguya felt her heart clench. She sighed. “I asked you before but... is the idea of making kids <em>with</em> <em>me</em> that disgusting?” She looked like she was shrinking on herself, bracing herself to get hurt again.</p>
<p class="p1">Ren looked at her, eyebrows high on his forehead. “Not at all! Oh sweetie, don’t tell me you thought I found <em>you</em> disgusting!”</p>
<p class="p1">Kaguya’s chin trembled. “But that’s what I asked you the other day! And you said ‘yes’!” she said with a sob.</p>
<p class="p1">Ren panicked, seeing tears start to form in her eyes. “Oh Agni I’m so sorry! Fuck I’m so stupid I didn’t even think you could have understood it like that!”</p>
<p class="p1">Kaguya wailed, tears flowing down like a river. “I thought I was so gross I made you throw up!”</p>
<p class="p1">Had he let her think that way for an entire week? Ren mentally smacked himself in the face. He cautiously came closer, holding a hand out for Kaguya to reach if she felt like it.</p>
<p class="p1">She took it, and pulled him into a tight hug, sobbing hard against his shoulder. He whispered gentle things against her hair, stroking it tenderly until she stopped trembling, so mad at himself.</p>
<p class="p1">“Why—why did you throw up, then?” she asked after a long while, her nose all stuffy.</p>
<p class="p1">"I—I was having a panic attack, or something like that, I think," Ren admitted. It was the first time he had put it into words, but 'panic attack' felt like the right way to describe it.</p>
<p class="p1">She looked up, worried. "... Is that something that happens often?"</p>
<p class="p1">He shook his head. "It used to happen a lot when Master Piandao took me in, but it stopped after a couple years." He counted in his head. "Since I've met Zuko it's only happened three times, including last week."</p>
<p class="p1">She cupped his cheek, looking sorry. "Oh poor thing..."</p>
<p class="p1">He covered her hand with his own, tangling their fingers together. "It's fine, it's not the end of the world. I'm so sorry I said what I said and didn't realize I hurt you. I—" he kissed his hand, "and let me emphasize this real hard—have never found you anything other than <em>gorgeous</em>."</p>
<p class="p1">She knocked her other fist against his chest. "Oh you!" she chuckled, then pressed her palm to his heart, feeling for a few thumps the vibrations of his heart. "... Do you really not want kids?" she asked after a moment, her voice all shy.</p>
<p class="p1">"... I don't—"</p>
<p class="p1">"It's really fine if you don't! I—I mean we can find someone else, I have no doubt there must be some—other person with a penis who would be fine fucking me, right? Ahah!"</p>
<p class="p1">This, for some reason, made Ren's blood boil. "Oh fuck no, what are you saying?! You can't just give yourself away to some random dude! Didn't you say 'men are trash'? Where did that energy go?"</p>
<p class="p1">Kaguya shrunk on herself again. "Yeah... But if it's not you I'll have to lower my standards..."</p>
<p class="p1">He took her by the shoulders and turned her to face him. "<em>I am not</em> letting you fuck a dude you don't like just because you want kids, okay?"</p>
<p class="p1">Tears rose to her eyes again. "... Then what should I do? You don't want kids—"</p>
<p class="p1">"Shhh," he whispered, much gentler, "I never said that." He took a moment to collect his thoughts. "I have—" he sighed, "I've thought about it for a long time, and in the end, the conclusion is that I must have kids. I just have to. I don't have a choice, and that's the problem."</p>
<p class="p1">Kaguya nodded, understanding.</p>
<p class="p1">"It's not that I don't want them, but I wish to have them on my own terms, not the terms the genocide of my ancestors has decided for me a century ago," he explained, and he really hoped she would understand. "I—I feel no connection to my heritage, I'm not an Air Nomad, I didn't grow up in a temple, and to think that I would have to raise them with values I don't know is... nonsensical. Do you get what I mean?"</p>
<p class="p1">Kaguya hummed, folding her legs close to her chest and resting her head on her knees. Ren sighed, resigned, resting his own head over hers, his arms shielding her from the world. Weirdly, the fact that they were both naked had not a single second felt strange, to neither of them.</p>
<p class="p1">"... Do you like kids?" she asked with a small voice.</p>
<p class="p1">He took a moment to respond. "Yeah, I think I do. They're fun to talk to."</p>
<p class="p1">"Do you think your mom liked kids?"</p>
<p class="p1">He raised an eyebrow, wondering what was her point. "Grandma said so, right?"</p>
<p class="p1">"Do you think she raised you to be an Air Nomad?"</p>
<p class="p1">Ren shook his head, his nose scrunching. "I don't think the Nomads learn how to fish, do they?"</p>
<p class="p1">"Then," Kaguya hugged him closer, "do you think she raised you wrong?"</p>
<p class="p1">This punched Ren right in the guts, leaving him speechless.</p>
<p class="p1">Kaguya lifted her face, looking at him in the eyes. "There's no right or wrong way to raise a kid. What matters is that you give them all the love they need, as best as you can. She did the best things she thought she could do for you. Do you think the best thing you could do would be to raise Air Nomads?"</p>
<p class="p1">He shook his head. "They'd be pretty terrible Air Nomads, if I'm in charge of teaching them."</p>
<p class="p1">"And it wouldn't matter. What matters is that you love them and you make them happy. Do you think you can do that?"</p>
<p class="p1">Ren inhaled, gulping down. "Loving them, yeah. Making them happy, I don't know."</p>
<p class="p1">Kaguya smiled. "But you wouldn't be the only one trying to make them happy. Do you think I'd make them happy?"</p>
<p class="p1">"Oh definitely, you'd be the best mom in the world," he said in one breath, not even having to think about it.</p>
<p class="p1">"And Suki would be such a fun mom too, don't you think?"</p>
<p class="p1">Ren nodded frantically. "No doubt about it!"</p>
<p class="p1">"Then..." she said, holding his hands like the most delicate things in the world, "Would you like to start a family with us?"</p>
<p class="p1">The portrait of his parents appeared in Ren's mind. His mother's smile, his father's hand over her shoulder, the way he looked a little like both of them. It gave him the courage to say, "Yes, I would like that very much."</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0032"><h2>32. Chapter 32</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>cw: they go hunting and bring back a beast, ren skins it and gets covered in blood but it's the only description of it</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p class="p1">They didn't get to announce the news right away, because as soon as they stepped out of the bath house, they got swept into the feast's preparations.</p><p class="p1">Zuko was already in the kitchen, a piece of cloth wrapped around his head, while Suki was peeling potatoes and Chiyotsuru was cutting daikon.</p><p class="p1">"No meat?" Ren asked, joining them with Kaguya in the cutting and peeling.</p><p class="p1">"We ain't got any good hunter in this town," Chiyotsuru's aunt said. "No firebender here, and the forest is dangerous. The best we have is fish." And there wasn't a lot of it.</p><p class="p1">Ren glanced at Suki, who returned his look. "Is there any big game in these woods?"</p><p class="p1">"Yeah. Giant antboars. There's quite a lot of them, and that's why it's dangerous. Oh, and I think someone saw a platipusbear once."</p><p class="p1">Ren and Suki smirked. "Great!" she said, "Because I'm much better at hunting than at peeling potatoes!" The very thick strands of potato skin in her bucket could sure attest of that.</p><p class="p1">"Are you sure?" Chiyotsuru asked. "It's really dangerous!"</p><p class="p1">Ren smiled, his eyes shining with a dark, mysterious tint. "Don't worry, we're not going alone," he said as he stepped out, loud croaks of crowbats resonating in the wind.</p><p class="p1">It was the middle of the day and antboars were a nocturnal species, but it didn't take them very long to locate one with the help of the crowbats. The wild antboar was an extremely easy animal to trail, once one finds hoof tracks. Suki shuddered when she saw how everything, the trees, the bushes, the dirt on the ground, had been deformed and crushed, forming a round tunnel through the vegetation, perfectly fitted to an antboar's back.</p><p class="p1">"Oh fuck it's huge," she realized.</p><p class="p1">Ren nodded, remembering how scared of them he used to be. Even now that he was an adult, antboars still looked at least twice his height.</p><p class="p1">“Do you really think we can take one? I’m having second thoughts, all of a sudden.”</p><p class="p1">“Suki,” Ren said, cocking an eyebrow, “<em>I</em> <em>killed</em> <em>Azula</em>.”</p><p class="p1">Suki snorted, a little stunned that he would bring her up so lightly. “Ah, yeah, nothing can get worse than that!”</p><p class="p1">The only things antboars had in common with an ant were the tiny pair of antennas on their head and the color of their body. Luckily, they had a pretty terrible sense of hearing, so a lost traveller wandering the woods would often see the beast before they would be heard, and could act accordingly. Once the antboar had unleashed its fury, though, it was pretty much unstoppable... not unlike a certain terrifying princess they both had had to face a few years back.</p><p class="p1">"Do you really think they'll be fine?" Kaguya asked Zuko, biting her lip.</p><p class="p1">He smiled. "I think the hardest will be to bring the thing back. They'll be fine killing it, don't worry."</p><p class="p1">Indeed, as soon as Ren hit it with the fatal arrow, the antboar wailed and fell on its side, a tree breaking under its weight.</p><p class="p1">Ren let out a short breath, then climbed onto the beast to pick his arrows back.</p><p class="p1">"Do your crowbats have any idea how we can get this thing back to the town?" Suki asked from below, circling the animal cautiously.</p><p class="p1">Ren wiped the sweat off his forehead. "Nope, but I think I have an idea."</p><p class="p1">The idea did actually work, but at what cost.</p><p class="p1">Even though they didn't go far from the town, it took them three whole hours to bring the giant beast back, with Ren using all the energy he had left to lift it just slightly off the ground with airbending, while Suki pulled it forward with ropes. Considering they were only two people, it was truly a feat of strength, and they managed to arrive early enoughto prepare the beast for dinner.</p><p class="p1">Ren, once again, did a quick job of skinning and cutting it, unbothered by the mess he was progressively getting covered in.</p><p class="p1">"It doesn't bother you, getting those sabers so dirty?" Suki asked as she saw him step into the kitchen, covered up to the chin with blood. She knew Master Piandao had forged them, and Ren regarded them as his most precious possessions.</p><p class="p1">He sighed from exhaustion, then replied, "They've cut through dirtier stuff than food," taking the bucket he was looking for and going back.</p><p class="p1">Kaguya shuddered a little, wondering what he meant by that. She wasn't deluded and she knew that all of them, the Fire Lord, her girlfriend and Ren, had killed people before. In this country, rare were the people who hadn't. But it didn't change the clutch in her heart, thinking about it.</p><p class="p1">"Did you get the chance to talk to him this morning?" Suki asked when Chiyotsuru's aunt left for a while.</p><p class="p1">Kaguya blushed from head to toe. "Ah... Yeah—yeah, we did," she stuttered, so busy all day she hadn't even had the time to think about how to tell them.</p><p class="p1">Zuko glanced at her, cocking his eyebrow.</p><p class="p1">"Look I—We should wait until after dinner to talk about it together, don't you think?" she said, wiping her forehead with the back of her hand.</p><p class="p1">"But you've talked, right?" Suki checked, and then smiled and let go of the conversation once Kaguya nodded shyly.</p><p class="p1">Zuko grinned, looking at his steaming pot, his heart singing happily.</p><p class="p1">The sun had set when they sat at the tables, the whole town bringing home cooked food to share with everybody. They weren't too numerous, maybe a little more than a hundred people, few enough that Zuko had already started to recognize some faces in the crowd. He and Kaguya had spent the whole day cooking, with a lot of people passing by Chiyotsuru's aunt's house to drop more ingredients. Zuko had never made that much food before, and he had <em>loved</em> it. No holding back, neither on quantity, nor on spice! What a delightful day!</p><p class="p1">The group of friends sat next to the elders' table with Ren between Chiyotsuru's grandma and aunt and the three others on the other side, Ren and Kaguya both decked in their most beautiful outfits, Zuko and Suki wearing their hair down, with casual clothes.</p><p class="p1">Before they started eating, Grandma held a short speech, and ended with, "To Ren! And uh... What's your names again?"</p><p class="p1">"Suki!"</p><p class="p1">"Kaguya!"</p><p class="p1">"Uhhhhhhhhh," Zuko spaced out, "Lee?"</p><p class="p1">"To Ren, Suki, Kaguya and <em>Lee</em>!" Zuko winced at the fake name. "And to peace!"</p><p class="p1">They all cheered, knocking their pints of beer together, foam overflowing blissfully.</p><p class="p1">"I can't believe there was still a place where people didn't know," Kaguya laughed after she downed her pint in one go.</p><p class="p1">"Yeah," Zuko said, still astonished by the fact. "How come you didn't know? Did nobody come here in <em>seven</em> years?" He started putting food in every plate he could reach, making sure Grandma's was filled up to the brim.</p><p class="p1">Grandma took a sip of her beer and put it down. "After Dawa's death," she said, and the mood immediately calmed down a little, "We all swore an oath that we should never talk to any soldier. Dawa... It had been a slip of tongue, that had led to her death. We couldn't trust any soldier anymore. The ones who came must have thought the whole town was mute."</p><p class="p1">Chiyotsuru's aunt knocked her pint on the table as she realized something. "Hey Grandma! Do you remember that time they came here and they were like, three of them? Without helmets? And they wouldn't leave until we took their fucking piece of paper, that we immediately burnt without reading? Do you think that was what they were trying to tell us?"</p><p class="p1">Grandma's chuckle quickly turned into a barking laughter, realizing how funny the situation was. "Oh maybe! Maybe that's why they seemed a bit different! If my memory isn't too bad yet, it was indeed six or seven years ago!"</p><p class="p1">Ren looked at the foam in his pint, a smile on his lips. Their genuine happiness warmed his heart, even with the storm that had passed through him during the past few days. He was so glad he was here tonight, even as exhausted as he was.</p><p class="p1">"So who's Fire Lord now?" one of the elders asked, holding his pint toward the group.</p><p class="p1">Everybody looked at Zuko, who blushed from ear to ear. "Ahem... Fire Lord Zuko."</p><p class="p1">"Is he any good?"</p><p class="p1">Zuko coughed, his beer going the wrong way.</p><p class="p1">"He is kind," Suki said, in complete honesty. "He's very good. We're actually on a mission for him."</p><p class="p1">Zuko looked at her, eyebrow high. Suki winked, silently saying, <em>Don't worry, I got you.</em></p><p class="p1">"Yeah he's looking for some place to develop, somewhere far away from Caldera City."</p><p class="p1">The elders looked at each other.</p><p class="p1">"We're hopping from town to town trying to find a beautiful place with a nice layout."</p><p class="p1">"Are you considering this place?" an elder asked, cautious.</p><p class="p1">"Would you want us to submit it?"</p><p class="p1">The elders all mumbled to each other, their faces serious.</p><p class="p1">"You said the Fire Lord was a kind man, right? Do you think he'd allow us to negotiate a little?"</p><p class="p1">Zuko hid a smile behind his hand.</p><p class="p1">"Yeah, he's really really kind," Suki reassured, nodding. "What do you want?"</p><p class="p1">"We wouldn't want the town to change too much, you know. We like our houses the way they are, and we'd like to keep them that way, as much as possible."</p><p class="p1">"And the streets too. They're nice all twisty like that, we wouldn't want to have to straighten them."</p><p class="p1">"And the trees too! People from the city don't like having many trees, right? But we like our trees, so we wouldn't want to cut them down!"</p><p class="p1">Suki nodded, smiling, to everything, while Zuko had to suppress his laughter. How could it be possible, to fall in love with a place and its people that quickly? But they were already head over heels over them all. All this place needed was a throne room and a name, and then it was good to go. Zuko's heart was seething with happiness, so relieved that his trip had been so successful.</p><p class="p1">"When he comes here," one of the elders said, "he has to see the lake! If he's a kind man, he'll absolutely love it!"</p><p class="p1">The other elders all approved, knocking their beers together.</p><p class="p1">"Do you have a map of the town?" Zuko asked, eyes sparkling.</p><p class="p1">"A map? What for?" the loudest elder said, holding a piece of fish with his chopsticks. "But we can make one for you if you think it'll help."</p><p class="p1">Zuko nodded, his cheeks getting painful from smiling so much. "Do you know where the closest town is from here?"</p><p class="p1">"There used to be one down the river. Don't know if it's still standing, we haven't gone there since Dawa's passing, because it's full of soldiers."</p><p class="p1">Zuko nodded again, understanding. "How long would it take to get there?"</p><p class="p1">"There are some waterfalls on the way, so you can't get there by boat, you have to walk. It used to be a day's walk on a good day, three days on a bad day. Depends on the weather, with how slippery it can get."</p><p class="p1">A day? That meant that if they built a road and did some water works, this remote town could get far easier to access.</p><p class="p1">"And the lake is atop the mountain?"</p><p class="p1">"Yeah, it used to be a volcano up there, but now the whole caldera is flooded, and it ices up in winter."</p><p class="p1">So it was dormant then, great. Zuko had never understood why his ancestors had thought building their capital city in the caldera of an active volcano was a good idea. Firebender pride, probably.</p><p class="p1">He glanced at Ren, who returned his look with sparkles in his eyes.</p><p class="p1">"It'd be good for this place, you know," Chiyotsuru's aunt said, slouching a little. "We don't have that much here, and not enough children. We're worried about the future, I'm telling you."</p><p class="p1">"Food seems to be okay?" Suki asked with noodles in her mouth, hoping she wasn't stepping too far.</p><p class="p1">"Ah. Yeah, well. We wanted to impress, but we'll live on the leftovers for a couple of weeks after this feast. Like I said this morning, all we have here is vegetables and fish, we're so few we can't risk losing our youth to an antboar, so they're forbidden from going hunting."</p><p class="p1">"If the place gets picked by the Fire Lord," Suki said, "Quite a lot of people will come here, including soldiers and firebenders." The elders frowned. "They—they'll be good! They'll be here to help!"</p><p class="p1">The elders all mumbled together again, seemingly not thrilled by the idea.</p><p class="p1">Grandma laced her fingers together, humming gravely. "Ren," she said, and everybody quieted. "Ultimately, it's the fate of your family that made us decide that we wouldn't trust the military but," and she looked at him in the eyes, "what would you do? If you were in our shoes?"</p><p class="p1">Ren blinked, worrying his lip. Wow, so many critical decisions these days, he wasn't sure if his brain was following! "I—I think they would really help. They could hunt for you, and they could help with the workload. The army is nothing like it was during the war. They—they aren't forced to get in, for starters, and Fire Lord Zuko's hold is really tight on them, no slipping allowed."</p><p class="p1">"Yeah," Suki assured, "He immediately combed through all regiments after the war and held trials for all the war criminals. There's no bad guy in the army left!"</p><p class="p1">"And he's done so much for the common people," Kaguya leaned in, "Non-benders' lives have improved considerably! He made the weekly rate go up so much I was able to buy myself a small apartment in the caldera!"</p><p class="p1">"And he's given priority to culture and education in a way that hasn't been done since the war has started," Ren added. "Books are everywhere now, cheap and accessible. Older people even got the chance to go back to school if they wanted, especially the ones who were in the military."</p><p class="p1">Zuko was progressively getting more and more red, turning his head to the side so that it wasn't too noticeable. He felt like he was stuck in a steaming pot.</p><p class="p1">"Agni, you seem like you like him a lot!" Grandma said, circumspect.</p><p class="p1">"<em>I would give up my life for him</em>," Ren said before he could even think, like the most natural thing in the world.</p><p class="p1">
  <em>Like he had already done, that day of early summer when he was fifteen, jumping from the dock of Caldera City to the small warship that would travel the whole world, and leaving the few things he had behind.</em>
</p><p class="p1">Grandma hummed, watching him smile to himself, and took a bite of her dumpling.</p><p class="p1">"Who wants more beer?" Chiyotsuru asked, walking between the tables.</p><p class="p1">Suki went to help her, taking everyone's pint and bringing them back full a few moments later. Kaguya, once again, downed hers in one go.</p><p class="p1">"Once you're pregnant, you'll have to stop drinking, you know," Suki told her with a low voice, but Grandma picked it up.</p><p class="p1">"Oooh? Is someone having a baby soon?" she coaxed, with a barking laughter that was louder than before.</p><p class="p1">The three tables around steered up, excited voices cheering for the future mom.</p><p class="p1">"Ahh... Hum... It's uhh...!" <em>So embarrassing!</em></p><p class="p1">Kaguya glanced at Ren and felt less alone when she saw the flush on his cheeks. He glanced back at her, asking <em>Did you tell them?</em> with his eyes. She shook her head slightly, then shrugged, because of course they had guessed it by themselves. In her stomach, the beer was buzzing, keeping her warm and fuzzy, and she let herself relax with it and laugh in the shared excitation.</p><p class="p1">Chiyotsuru came back between the tables again, asking what was happening, and then started singing something, making it up on the spot, to congratulate Kaguya. Everybody started clapping in rhythm, cheering every time the teenager would pause to think of new lyrics. The group of travelers watched her dance between the tables in wonder, picking up pints as she went and filling them up again.</p><p class="p1">"Alright alright I've ran out of ideas!" she said after quite a while, laughing as her aunt patted her on her back.</p><p class="p1">"Anyone else wanna sing?" one of the elders asked, definitely getting pretty drunk.</p><p class="p1">Ren and Kaguya glanced at each other.</p><p class="p1">"Well, hum hum," Kaguya cleared her throat and stood up. "Which one?" she whispered to Ren, who whispered something back. "Aaalright! I think I have something for you all!"</p><p class="p1">She went for a party song, clapping her hands and tapping her feet, Ren harmonizing with her, emphasizing some words, amplifying others. The townsfolk picked up the lyrics pattern quite quickly and joined her, a lot of them standing as well, dancing around the tables with their beers in hand. Even as small as she was, and in the darkness of the night, she shone bright, like a jewel in the sunlight.</p><p class="p1">"I love this place sooooo muuuuch," she slurred that night as she stepped into Ren's parents' home, which Chiyotsuru had cleaned and set up for them.</p><p class="p1">Suki giggled in agreement, at least as drunk as her, stumbling her way inside. Behind her, Zuko was carrying Ren in his arms, his lover having fallen asleep in the middle of the feast, barely missing his plate with his face.</p><p class="p1">Suki pulled the futons out of the closet, tumbling back and laughing as she struggled to pull the heavy mattresses, her arms tired from the hunt. Zuko rolled his eyes, smiling at his friends, not much more sober. He set Ren down and started pulling all his hairpins out, and then combed his white hair with his fingers.</p><p class="p1">"Let's make babies!" Kaguya shouted, falling face down on a pillow right next to them.</p><p class="p1">Zuko laughed, putting Ren to bed, and then moved to do the exact same thing to Kaguya. "I think you'll have to wait till tomorrow," he gently said as she purred and tilted her head toward him, letting him undo her hair.</p><p class="p1">"Is that something you're really okay with?" Suki asked him, smiling as she watched the two of them get closer than they had ever been.</p><p class="p1">Zuko looked at her, expression soft. "Yeah. As long as he wants it."</p><p class="p1">"I swear she told me she wants it, I didn't force her to say anything," Kaguya said, pouting.</p><p class="p1">"I know," Zuko said, and it felt like the most natural thing to caress her cheek with the back of his hand.</p><p class="p1">"I'm worried, you know," Kaguya added, "We've talked about sex before, and she told me she's really not into girls. How's that gonna work? I don't want her to be scared."</p><p class="p1">That, Zuko couldn't say anything to it. He had refused to think about it since, but the night he had had to spend with his wife had been pretty horrendous. Though, in this case, Ren was at least spending time with someone he liked.</p><p class="p1">"Maybe you could stay with them?" Suki asked, lying on her stomach, her head in her hands.</p><p class="p1">"Who, me?" Zuko exclaimed, pointing at his face.</p><p class="p1">"Oh yeah, that could work!" Kaguya said, looking at him.</p><p class="p1">"Wou—would you be okay with that?" Zuko sputtered.</p><p class="p1">Kaguya thought about it for a second. "Mmh, why not? I mean, yeah, sounds good, doesn't it?"</p><p class="p1">"Why the fuck are you organizing a threesome without me," Ren mumbled, barely waking up.</p><p class="p1">"No, <em>it is</em> with you!" Kaguya told him, far too loud for his poor head. "Are you up for it?"</p><p class="p1">"Fuck yeah but let's sleep first," he said, and pulled her under the cover, locking his knees around hers.</p><p class="p1">Suki laughed, blowing out the lamps, then crawled under the cover as well. Zuko took a few minutes in the dark to think about what had just been said, and let out a small sigh.</p><p class="p1">
  <em>What a day.</em>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>You know what's coming next teehee</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0033"><h2>33. Chapter 33</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>cw: as you would expect, here is some penis-in-vagina smut!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p class="p1">When he prayed to the sun, later than his friends the next morning, Ren thanked the townsfolk from the bottom of his heart for keeping the house of his parents intact. He thanked them for their hopeful patience, and he apologized for not trying harder to find this place. He thought back to a conversation he had had with Aang, a couple years before, how Aang was traveling the world, trying to save the few crumbs there was left of the Air Nomad culture, trying to find other airbenders, following every lead. <em>Like a fool's dream</em>, Ren had thought in the moment, but here he was, standing in front of the treasure his mom and his dad had built for him.</p>
<p class="p1">The house was truly magnificent, far beyond anything Ren had ever dreamed to afford. His parents had probably planned to have many kids, judging by the number of rooms already there and the unfinished extension in the back. Ren, Zuko, Kaguya and Suki had spent the night sleeping in the living room, the first room one would see when they would enter from the front yard, but there were two rooms on each side, and a bathroom and a kitchen behind. On the second floor, there were four rooms and a corridor, all built with closets and moving panels that could be left open to make bigger rooms. The foundations were raised from the ground but surrounded by stone, enabling floor heating in the winter. It was an old specificity of the Fire Nation mountain houses, one that Ren had only ever seen in books before. All in all, it was an extremely close depiction of his dream house.</p>
<p class="p1">"Good morning!" Chiyotsuru shouted from afar, waving her hand. "I brought breakfast!"</p>
<p class="p1">Ren smiled, trotting to meet her. "Ah, good morning! Thanks a lot!"</p>
<p class="p1">"How long do you plan on staying here? Will food be okay?"</p>
<p class="p1">"Ah, hum. Maybe a week or so? We haven't decided yet. Is there a shop somewhere? for food? We have money."</p>
<p class="p1">Chiyotsuru laughed. "A shop? Nah, nothing like that. We just ask the neighbor if they have the ingredients we need. There's no real use for money here, to be honest!" It turned out the shops they thought they saw on the evening they had arrived were craftspeople's workshops, and the lantern-making guy was just very generous and had gifted the whole town huge paper lanterns.</p>
<p class="p1">Ren's cheeks flushed, feeling a bit dumb. "Well... We're fine for today, we brought some food with us, but I guess I'll have to go hunt again tomorrow. Maybe I can find something easier to bring back than an antboar!"</p>
<p class="p1">Chiyotsuru laughed, then went on her way, waving to him again. Ren went back inside, bringing breakfast to his friends.</p>
<p class="p1">Zuko was sitting at the living room's low table, heating water by hand for the tea, Kaguya behind him combing through his hair from bottom to top. His hair was so long it almost reached the floor he was sitting on. Thinking about it, Ren passed his own loose hair over his shoulder and started braiding it, reminiscing of how long it had been when the Dai Li had dared to touch it, in the undergrounds of Ba Sing Se. If he looked in the mirror now, he wouldn't look any different than what he had looked like that day, his braid reaching his thighs and all. He wondered how long his mother's hair used to be, if she had ever cut it, if it was as soft as his.</p>
<p class="p1">"You look happy," Zuko said, intonation rising but it wasn't a question.</p>
<p class="p1">Ren smiled, tying a string to the end of his braid.</p>
<p class="p1">Kaguya looked over Zuko's shoulder, rising on her toes. Ren noticed she was about to say something but then she lost courage and hid herself again.</p>
<p class="p1">"So," he said, and poured tea for everybody, "Wanna make some babies?"</p>
<p class="p1">He almost dropped the teapot because Kaguya sputtered so loudly. She jumped to her feet, her face a deep crimson shade.</p>
<p class="p1">Ren laughed. "What?! I'm quoting you!"</p>
<p class="p1">She went around Zuko and kneeled next to Ren, her hands closed into small fists. "Don't say that in bright daylight! Agni! And not in front of—!"</p>
<p class="p1">Zuko hid a smile behind his hand. "Am I not supposed to participate?"</p>
<p class="p1">Kaguya turned back, eyes wide. "Did—did we say that?!" Her memories of the night before were pretty fuzzy, and she hadn't been sure if they had really held this conversation or if it had been in her dreams.</p>
<p class="p1">"I suggested it," Suki said, walking in after her morning drills. "You seemed worried Ren's dick wouldn't work with you."</p>
<p class="p1">Ren spat his tea out. "Ahem—I don't think the concern is really warran—"</p>
<p class="p1">"So you don't want me to be here then?" Zuko asked, tilting his head.</p>
<p class="p1">Ren and Kaguya looked at each other, different expressions taking turns on their faces. Then they both started speaking at the same time.</p>
<p class="p1">"No, yeah, okay—"</p>
<p class="p1">"No, sure—"</p>
<p class="p1">"If it helps—!"</p>
<p class="p1">"It could be better if—!"</p>
<p class="p1">Zuko snorted. "I will need a very clear 'yes' or 'no' from both of you before anything else," he said, his voice like warm honey.</p>
<p class="p1">"Yes!" they exclaimed after just a second, as if they shared the same braincells, and then Ren looked at Kaguya again, raising his eyebrows. She nodded frantically, her lashes fluttering, a deep shade of red fiercely burning on her cheeks.</p>
<p class="p1">"Are you really sure?" Ren whispered.</p>
<p class="p1">"Are you kidding me? I know I'm not into men, but have you seen how <em>hot</em> your boyfriend is?" Kaguya whispered back, hiding her mouth with her hand.</p>
<p class="p1">Suki snorted. "Okay, I'm out then! I'll be back by noon, have fun!"</p>
<p class="p1">"Are you sure you don't want to be here?" Kaguya asked her, holding her hand.</p>
<p class="p1">"Yup, yup, I don't want to see my boss' dick anytime soon!"</p>
<p class="p1">Zuko closed his eyes, holding another laugh in. "Yeah, we hum, we should keep it <em>professional</em>."</p>
<p class="p1">Suki nodded. "<em>Professional</em>, yeah."</p>
<p class="p1">They couldn't hold it anymore and bursted out laughing, then Suki went on her way, a couple of buns in her left pocket and a book in the other one.</p>
<p class="p1">"Maybe... Let's move everything to the other room?" Ren said, looking at the folded futons. He definitely wasn't comfortable fucking in the same room as his parents' altar. And it was definitely <em>not</em> just because he was suddenly feeling very nervous and would do anything to get a little more time to mentally prepare.</p>
<p class="p1">Who would have thought fucking your nation's soon-to-be Fire Lord as a virgin would be less scary than fucking your best friend with a decade of experience under your belt, uh?</p>
<p class="p1">"Relax," Zuko told him, wrapping his arms around his waist and leaving a kiss on the side of his head.</p>
<p class="p3"><span class="s1">"I</span>—I'm fine! I'm perfectly relaxed!" <em>Let's get this done already</em>, he thought, tugging on his belt and sitting down on the mattress.</p>
<p class="p3">Kaguya sat in front of him, worrying her lip. "Look, I know it's scary, but it's gonna be okay, alright?"</p>
<p class="p1">Ren nodded quickly. "Oh yeah, I'm sure! Not doubt about it!"<em> I just feel like I'm crumbling under the pressure!</em></p>
<p class="p1">Kaguya took his hand. "It's okay if you're not used to doing it that way, but it'll be fine, okay? And if it's too hard, I can even go on top if you want."</p>
<p class="p1">Ren blinked, confused. “... Are you assuming I am a bottom?” he asked after a while.</p>
<p class="p1">Kaguya raised her eyebrows. “Are you not?” she asked in surprise, before covering her mouth with her hand. “Sorry I shouldn’t go around assuming... Wow, does that mean that the Fire Lord is a bottom then?” she blurted before she could stop herself.</p>
<p class="p1">Zuko squinted. “Is there some underlying meaning that I’m missing?”</p>
<p class="p1">Ren chuckled. “Don’t mind him,” he told Kaguya as he saw her suddenly get anxious over Zuko’s reaction. “The Fire Lord is in fact a very innocent man and has never consumed any porn in his life, so how would he know?”</p>
<p class="p1">Zuko squinted even harder. "Are you saying that <em>you</em> consume porn?"</p>
<p class="p1">Ren turned to Kaguya. “Should we tell him we read porn together or should we keep this a secret?” he asked, barely lowering his voice.</p>
<p class="p1">She laughed, glad that the tension had alleviated. "My Lord, you really should check out erotica. I can give you recommendations if you need," she said, nodding her head, very serious.</p>
<p class="p1">She was so cute Zuko felt real tears rising to his eyes. “O-Okay,” he stuttered, inhaling sharply. Not even Ren had ever made him feel this way. He shook himself a little. "I bet I have a lot to learn from you then, since you're so knowledgeable," he said, smirking. "Mind if I sit and watch for a little while?" He leaned against the closet door behind Kaguya, a couple meters away.</p>
<p class="p1">"Ooh," Kaguya smiled behind her hand, "This is <em>kinky</em>," she said with a low voice, making Ren laugh. "Now, let's get this thing done, okay?"</p>
<p class="p1">She then reached for Ren's kimono and opened it. Unsurprisingly, his dick was soft. Ren looked down at it, worrying his lip. “I... sorry I don’t know what to do to get in the mood.”</p>
<p class="p1">Zuko grinned, leaning further against the closet behind Kaguya. “I think I have an idea,” he said. He slid a hand down his robes, and pulled his cock out.</p>
<p class="p1">“What is your idea?” Kaguya asked, turning her head back.</p>
<p class="p1">“Don’t look!” Ren said, catching her face with both hands. She looked at him in confusion. He glanced at Zuko, squinting his eyes at his smug face. The Fire Lord was slowly stroking himself to full hardness, looking at his lover dead in the eyes.</p>
<p class="p1">“Come on, let me see, I’m so curious now!” Kaguya giggled.</p>
<p class="p1">Ren turned back to her. “Be a good girl and I’ll reward you,” he said, voice now tinted with arousal. Zuko’s idea was working <em>very well. </em></p>
<p class="p1">“O-Okay...” Kaguya whispered, blushing from ear to ear. She felt like she was witnessing a completely different person all of a sudden, and she was <em>definitely</em> into it. She took Ren’s hands and put them around her waist, encouraging him to explore. He immediately did, running up and down the length of her back, pulling her close into a hug. The softness of the silk felt divine against her skin. Ren nuzzled her neck, nose buried inside her collar, devouring Zuko with his eyes over her shoulder. Kaguya shivered at the heat on her collarbone, tangling her fingers in his hair. He traced a line with the tip of his nose up her neck, caressing her cheek.</p>
<p class="p1">“Is kissing okay?” Ren asked, his lips so close to Kaguya's that she felt the air moving against her skin.</p>
<p class="p1">“Yeah...” she whispered, blushing harder.</p>
<p class="p1">He angled her head a little to the side and kissed her passionately, a soft hand cupping her cheek, the other hand tugging on the back of her collar, gently peeling it down and revealing her bare shoulders</p>
<p class="p1">She felt so small and so fragile, but so safe at the same time. He was touching her like the most delicate piece of jewelry, holding her like she was the most precious treasure, kissing her like his life depended on it.</p>
<p class="p1">They parted, completely out of breath, gazing at each other with their eyes full of lust.</p>
<p class="p1">A muffled moan pulled them back to reality. “Ren, you don’t have any lube with you, do you?” Zuko said, voice breathy and coarse. He had been enjoying the view tremendously.</p>
<p class="p1">Ren immediately opened his bag and pulled out the bottle from afar with airbending.</p>
<p class="p1">“Agni! My lord! What are doing?” Kaguya exclaimed, but once again Ren stopped her from turning back.</p>
<p class="p1">“What do you think he's doing?” Ren asked, smirking.</p>
<p class="p1">"... Touching himself?" Kaguya asked with the smallest voice.</p>
<p class="p1">Ren hummed, sliding a hand inside her clothes. Her skin was the softest thing he had ever touched. "Where do you think he's touching?" he asked, well aware of the effect he had on her. "Show me."</p>
<p class="p1">Kaguya swallowed down, so turned on that she felt like she was slipping away. She found his hand on her stomach, and made it slide up to her breast. "His chest?" she asked, faking innocence.</p>
<p class="p1">Ren definitely noticed her other hand going between her thighs, hidden by the fabric. Her breast filled his hand entirely, round and much heavier than he had expected. He squeezed it gently, and then harder, rolling his thumb over her nipple, hearing how it made Kaguya moan with the voice of an angel.</p>
<p class="p1">"No, he's not touching his chest," Ren said, low voice shaking her to her core. Zuko whimpered, confirming Ren's words.</p>
<p class="p1">Kaguya had to stop herself from turning back. "I think... that he should touch it," she said, looking at Ren under heavy eyelids. "I think it would make him feel really good."</p>
<p class="p1">Ren smirked. "Yeah. I think you're right, he should definitely play with his nipples."</p>
<p class="p1">Zuko felt himself drift, pulled under by the command, his back sliding down against the closet. "<em>Yes</em>," he replied in a sharp breath, his hands leaving his crotch and reaching to open his robes completely.</p>
<p class="p1">"Good boy," Ren whispered, looking at him in the eyes as he bit Kaguya's earlobe and pinched her nipple, his other hand sliding into her kimono as well. He slotted his thigh between hers, Kaguya instinctively lifting her hips, seeking contact, grinding her still-clothed heat against his bare skin, wet fingers coming out and grabbing his arm to pull him closer.</p>
<p class="p1">"Oh Agni, there really is nothing down there," Ren blurted.</p>
<p class="p1">Kaguya bursted out laughing. "Of course there isn't, that's the whole point, you dum-dum!" She sat back and opened her kimono completely, letting him see the dark mass of hair between her legs, from which, sadly, no dick came out.</p>
<p class="p1">Ren tried very hard to look like he was okay, but he was feeling his confidence drop very fast, all of a sudden. Zuko noticed and stood up before he had to say anything.</p>
<p class="p1">"Is it okay if I participate a little?" the Fire Lord asked Kaguya, sitting by her side, his inner robe still covering most of his body.</p>
<p class="p1">She nodded, unsure of what was happening but willing to help. Inside Ren's mind, a storm of panic was forming, about to devastate everything.</p>
<p class="p1">Zuko cupped his face and kissed him senseless, sweet and warm and reassuring.</p>
<p class="p1">"Mmph—Zuko...?" Ren inquired once his lips were free.</p>
<p class="p1">His lover kissed him everywhere until he smiled. "I think there's not enough dicks in here," he said, making Ren chuckle, "and I think," he kissed one hand, "that you need," he kissed the other hand, "some good face fucking."</p>
<p class="p1">Kaguya's jaw dropped as she saw Ren nod with a very soft smile, eyes full of love, letting himself go in Zuko's hands, who grabbed his hair and stood up, pushing Ren's face against his crotch. The contrast between this and how Ren was speaking earlier was exhilarating.</p>
<p class="p1">Ren let his jaw relax, welcoming the heavy shaft on his tongue, closing his eyes and letting go of reality completely.</p>
<p class="p1">"Come closer," Zuko said to Kaguya with a gentle voice.</p>
<p class="p1">She moved, parting her legs around Ren, their hips close enough that she could align his cock herself. She glanced at Zuko for approval, and then pushed her hips down, making Ren penetrate her slowly.</p>
<p class="p1">Ren rolled his eyes behind his lids, tears pearling on his lashes, his nose pressed against Zuko's groin. Kaguya took his hands and placed them on her hips, asking for assistance, which he provided immediately, holding her closer and closer until he was completely sheathed inside.</p>
<p class="p1">“And then? And then?”</p>
<p class="p1">Kaguya giggled loudly, blushing from ear to ear. “Oh Suki, it felt so good!”</p>
<p class="p1">Suki giggled as well, their laughs resonating against the tiles of the empty bathhouse. "Do you like dicks, now?" she asked, poking her girlfriend in the rib.</p>
<p class="p1">“Oh babe, dicks are so good! Dicks are so good it made me cry!”</p>
<p class="p1">“You <em>cried</em>?!”</p>
<p class="p1">Oh yeah, she had cried. She had cried as Ren had pounded into her, turning her over on her knees, she had cried when she had felt her orgasm rise beneath her skin, she had <em>wailed,</em> even, when Ren had come inside while her release was too near, begging with tears rolling down her cheeks for the Fire Lord to continue fucking her and had cried harder even when he had breached into her, filling her up so much more.</p>
<p class="p1">“It felt <em>so good</em>,” she whispered, feeling warmth pulsing between her legs. "We need to get you one of those belt-thingy."</p>
<p class="p1">"Oh yeah," Suki said in a sharp breath, "I wanna be the one who makes you cry like that."</p>
<p class="p1">They were <em>so</em> glad that the bathhouse was empty during the afternoon.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>thank you all so much for all the nice comments lately, it makes me so happy you have no idea!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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